Welcome to Smallville
by heeyiitspaige
Summary: Valerie Pace is a normal teenage girl living in Metropolis- with superpowers that no one can explain, after crashlanding on Earth twelve years ago. With her parents dead in the tornado just outside of her city, Valerie is forced to move in with the Kent's in Smallville. How will this big city girl handle living in Smallville, Kansas? (Canon through Season 1 - Full Summay Inside)
1. Full Summary

The day the meteors hit Smallville, the average Kansas town was forever changed; to those who are oblivious, the meteor shower was something of a freak natural event, one that would probably never happen again. But to some, the meteors were something more. To the Kent's, it was the day that Clark came into their lives, seemingly from a distant alien planet, and changed their world forever.

That same day, however, Clark Kent was not the only person who landed on Earth in a small spaceship; just a couple miles outside of Gotham City, a similar ship landed and was found by Mark and Donna Pace. Inside of it was a girl, no more than three years old, who they adopted and named Valerie.

For the next twelve years, the Pace family lived happily in their home city of Metropolis, where Mark was the mayor and Donna ran charities. A regular rich city kid, Valerie grew up happy, spoiled, and most importantly, loved. As she grew older she began to develop abilities, including super speed, strength, and immunity to pain disease. Her parents grew to understand that Valerie wasn't from Earth, and did their best to keep her powers on the down low. They were happy. Until the day of the tornado.

Valerie's father grew up in Smallville, him and Donna had plans to spend the weekend in the town to catch up with what was going on there and to see Mark's childhood best friend, Jonathan Kent. The tornado struck, however, and the Pace's were killed.

Threats to send Valerie off in a million directions flew around for days, but it was soon discovered that in Mark's will, he stated that if anything were to happen to her, she'd be sent to live with the Kent family. After arguments and fuss, Valerie finally compiled and packed up everything she had, making her way to Smallville.

With the Kent's having no knowledge about Valerie, and with she having no idea about Clark, how will things in Smallville change? Will Val and Clark be able to get along, or will they destroy each other in the process? And will they ever learn of their origins, their connection, and their destiny?

 **Hello everyone! This is my new story; a Smallville fanfic with an OC of mine, taking place after the tornado in the season 1 finale. There are a few canon changes that I'm going to make, and those are:**

 **\- Pete and Chloe know about Clark's powers  
\- Whitney is a year younger, meaning that he was a junior and isn't going into the Marine's just yet  
\- Roger Nixon is not dead**

 **Those are the major ones that need to be addressed now, so yeah. I hope you guys like it :)**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	2. Welcome to Smallville (1)

It was late summer, and Metropolis in August was like the desert: hot, humid, and for the most part, beautiful. The heat didn't stop people coming to and from the busy city though, clad in dresses and shorts and tank tops, and flip flops and sandals on their feet and sunscreen on their faces. The city was just as busy as ever.

The only person not taking advantage of her surroundings, however, seemed to be Valerie Pace. Sat quietly on her bed in her midtown penthouse, the fifteen year old hadn't done much of anything that summer. Most of the time she stayed in the nice air conditioning of the apartment, occasionally flying with her grandmother to Gotham City for the weekend, and sometimes going over to her friend's houses.

But after the death of her parents, Valerie didn't want to do much of anything. It had been a quick and sudden death, one that Valerie couldn't even comprehend at first. They had just gone away for a weekend, like they'd done multiple times before, but this time they were coming back in caskets. Valerie didn't understand it, and quite frankly, she didn't really want to.

In her silence Valerie held a small stuffed bear in her hands, playing aimlessly with the plush animal with her hands and her legs crossed into a pretzel. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept with Mr. Stuffing, but since the death of her parents she couldn't go a night without him; granted, she couldn't sleep a full night at all, but he helped her go to bed when she just couldn't take being up anymore.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but the silence in Valerie's room ended when she heard the door open and shut; looking up the teenager saw her grandmother, and with a small and forced smile on her face she greeted the women. Beth offered her granddaughter a smile in return and sat on the edge of the bed, her hand going over the younger girls.

"How's the packing going?" she asked, and quickly Valerie's forced smile fell. Silence fell once more, and Beth sighed. "Valerie, the movers will be here in a few hours, and from the looks of it, you haven't even started."

"I'm not going there," Valerie said in a simple tone, shaking her head; the bun that sat on the top of her head shook as well. Another sigh escaped the girl's grandmother's lips, and she shook her head. "Valerie…"

"I don't even know these people," she snapped, standing up and discarding the stuffed bear onto the bed. "Why can't I just move to Gotham City with you? Or you move here? Mom said you've been thinking about moving back to Metropolis for a long time, so why not now? You can move in here, I don't have to change schools, I can stay with my friends. It's perfect."

In theory, the idea Valerie had was perfect; and if Beth could make all of her granddaughter's wishes come true, she would in a heartbeat. But she couldn't. "Valerie," she sighed, and at her grandmother's tone Valerie sat back on the bed but just closer to her grandmother. "It's just not fair," she teenager said.

"I know it's not, sweetheart," Beth said, wrapping her arm around Valerie's shoulders and pulling the girl closer. "But this is what your parents wanted. They trust these people, and if your mother trusted them enough to place you in their care, then I think we should too."

"And my powers?" Valerie looked up at her grandmother, a concerned look on her face. "You control them, just like you've always done," Beth said, her hands cupping her granddaughter's face in her hands as she pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead. "Now, let's get to that packing."

"Clark!" Chloe Sullivan called through her house, walking from the front door through the hallway and into the kitchen: she had gone outside to get her laptop from her car, and while out there the blonde had received a call from her friend's mom. Entering the kitchen, she saw Clark standing at the fridge.

Hearing Chloe walk into the room Clark pulled his attention from the food and looked at her. "You got anything to eat?" he asked, his stomach growling. A laugh escaped the blonde's lips before she spoke again: "Probably, but I just got off the phone with your mom; said she wants you home right away."

Clark tilted his head slightly; his parents had never been strict about him being home over the summer, as long as all his chores were done for the day Clark was free to do what he pleased within the legal limit. Days usually consisted of spending time with Chloe or Pete, helping Lana at the Talon, or hanging out at the Luthor castle. If he needed to be home for any specific reason, Martha would've told him. This confused Clark to no end.

"I should probably go then," he said, grabbing his bag. Things with Chloe had been weird since the Spring Formal; she had been the one to suggest they stay friends, but part of Clark believed that Chloe saying that was just a test that he failed. He should've disagreed, and told her he had strong feelings for her, but after ditching her at the dance to save Lana, he highly doubted she'd believe that.

"You want a ride? It's getting dark," Chloe offered, keys already in her hand. Shaking his head, Clark threw his bag over his shoulder. "I'll be fine walking; it's nice out anyway. I'll call you tomorrow."

The two exchanged quick goodbye's before Clark headed out of the Sullivan house hold and began walking; after a block or so he used his super speed to get home in just a few seconds, stopping just a little while away from the front of his house when he spotted an unfamiliar van in front of his house.

Jogging the rest of the way up to the path that led to his house, Clark looked from the van to his house; using his x-ray vision, he was able to see that his parents weren't the only two people in the house; there were three others, three people he didn't recognize, and again he was confused. Furrowed eyebrows he headed into his house, tossing his bag onto the couch and heading inside.

"Mom? Dad?" he called out as he entered the house, before deciding to go into the kitchen. When he reached the kitchen he saw his parents along with the three people he couldn't recognize: one was a man around his father's age dressed in a suit, looking very official; the next was an older woman, also dressed quite officially, with a small but slightly saddened expression on her face; the last was a young girl, around Clark's age, clad in a black tracksuit zip up and red shorts. Her hair was long and straight, pulled away from her face in a high pony tail, and she had bangs. Clark recognized her, but he didn't know from where.

When Clark entered the kitchen all eyes were on him, and Martha offered her son an apologetic smile before walking over to him. "Clark, right?" the strange man asked, and Clark's attention was on him instead of his mother. "I'm Ken Jacobs," Ken offered his hand, and Clark shook it, still confused. "I'm Mark Pace's lawyer."

Mark Pace. The name definitely sounded familiar, and Clark _knew_ for a fact that he had heard it before, but he wasn't sure where. Hearing his father sigh Clark looked to Jonathan and the man spoke. "Son, you remember my friend Mark from Metropolis? Your mother and I went to him and his wife's funeral after the tornados?"

"Yeah, of course," Clark responded quickly, but if he was being honest he really didn't remember this man. Sure, he could recall times where his parents would spend weekends in Metropolis with Mark and his wife, or moments when Jonathan would bring his friend up in conversation, but he'd be lying if he said he could place the name to the face.

"You didn't tell him, Martha?" the older woman asked, and Martha sighed. "He's been running around all summer, I just hadn't found the time." "Tell me what?" Clark questioned.

"Well their daughter Valerie is going to be staying with us for a while," Martha butted in, and after looking at his mother Clark's eyes went to the girl his age; her name was Valerie, and Clark figured he recognized her face from Christmas cards or something. After looking at her for a second he looked back to his parents. "For how long?"

"Until she's eighteen," the older woman spoke, and Clark looked over to her with a confused look on his face. Valerie was usually good with attention of all kinds, but she couldn't find a way to react well under Clark's eyes. It was so hard for her to understand what he was thinking; surely he was confused, but she couldn't help but sense a bit of anger and annoyance.

The silence was awkward as the two teenagers looked at each other, and after a few seconds Martha spoke up. "Clark, why don't you show Valerie around the farm while we bring the rest of her stuff inside?" she said and Clark just nodded.

Valerie turned to her grandmother with a slightly nervous look on her face, and Beth pulled the girl into a hug. "Call me if you need anything," she whispered and Valerie nodded, squeezing. Pulling away they looked at each other and Valerie offered a small smile before following Clark outside.

 **Chapter 1 is up! I hope you guys like it, leave some reviews and whatnot :)**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	3. Take Care of My Baby (2)

"And this is the loft."

Clark and Valerie had been walking around for nearly a half an hour, the former showing her where everything was and what each part of the farm consisted of. Most of the talking came from Clark, considering he was the one with the knowledge, and the fact that Valerie was just _quiet._ At least, that's what Clark thought.

Normally, Valerie was quite talkative, initiating conversation and asking questions; but she felt a bit uncomfortable at the Kent Farm. It wasn't like Clark was one of the guys at her school, or a son of a politician that Valerie's father knew. He was a guy she was going to be living with for the next few years. It was a weird situation, especially considering Valerie's protests about coming, and the fact that Clark didn't even know she was staying with them until thirty minutes ago.

As the two walked up the steps that led to the loft, Valerie looked around the barn; when Clark reached the top he turned to look at the girl, a small smile on his lips. "My dad likes to call it my _Fortress of Solitude;_ I tend to come up here when I want to be alone."

When she reached the top of the steps, Valerie looked out to the rest of the barn before walking further into the space. She was quiet as she walked, until she noticed the giant opening in the wall that over looked the whole farm. A breath escaped her lips and a small smile appeared. The view, though very different from what she was used to, reminded her of the view from her room in Metropolis. An entire wall in her room was made of windows, overlooking the beautiful city, and she loved to just look out and wonder what the day held for her. It made her feel small, and sometimes, Valerie liked that feeling.

"The view is beautiful," it was the first statement she had made in a good fifteen minutes as she leaned on the window sill, looking out before feeling Clark stand next to her; she turned her head to look at him, her pony tail whipping around as well and her smile never faltering.

Clark nodded. "You should see the sunsets," he added, his smile matching hers. Valerie was about to speak again when she heard footsteps behind her, and when Clark heard them as well they both turned to look.

"Clark?" Pete Ross called up the stairs, and Clark let out a breath. "Up here, Pete!" Clark called back and before long the young man was standing infront of the other two teens. Pete paused when he spotted Valerie, looking at Clark before back to the red head.

"Well, are you going to introduce me?" Pete asked with a laugh, and Clark shook her head. "Pete this is Valerie, she's going to be staying with us for a while. Valerie this is my best friend, Pete."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Valerie offered Pete a small smile, and in return he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "The pleasure is all mine." A laugh escaped Valerie's lips and her smile widened, becoming a bit more genuine. Clark couldn't help but laugh a bit as well, shaking his head at his best friend.

"Anyway…" Clark trailed off and Pete let go of Valerie's hand, looking to his best friend. "What time are we going to the Talon tonight?" Pete asked, and Clark thought for a second. "Lana said they close around nine, so I was thinking eight thirty? We could help her close up and then hang out." "Is Valerie coming?"

Valerie's smile fell slightly; sure, she and Clark had shared a bit of a bonding moment just minutes ago, but they were nowhere near terms of hanging out. Plus, Valerie didn't even know who this Lana girl was, who else would be there, or if either parties would like one another.

Clark looked over to Valerie, noticing the look on her face. He hadn't even thought about his plans when Valerie came, and though he knew it would have been a good idea to invite her, he just hadn't. Part of Clark wasn't sure how he felt about this girl, and while he was completely skeptical, he couldn't be rude. His morals wouldn't allow it, and even if he didn't want to invite her, his mother would've made him.

"If she wants," Clark said, and suddenly Valerie felt put on the spot. Clark didn't have to invite her, and being that he did, in front of his friend, Val knew that if she said no, she'd look bad. But she really wasn't feeling it… "I really don't want to impose—."

"Nonsense," Pete shook his head, cutting Valerie off. "It'll give you a chance to see Smallville a bit, and meet a few of your soon to be classmates. I promise Chloe isn't as scary as she seems, and Lana's sweet." "Is Whitney coming?" Clark asked, and Pete shook his head. "Dude's got some football thing tonight; probably'll stop by to say hi to Lana, but he won't stay. Don't you worry, Clark."

"Clark!" The three teens heard Martha's voice travel through the barn. "Yeah mom?" he called back, walking towards the steps so he could look down to see his mother. "Valerie's grandmother is leaving, and we need your help with the rest of her stuff." Clark nodded before turning back to the other two.

"And that's my queue to go. See you guys tonight," Pete said before heading down, saying a goodbye to Martha and heading out. Valerie followed Clark down, and when they reached the bottom of the stairs and Val knew they were alone, she grabbed Clark's arm and turned him to face her.

"You didn't have to invite me tonight," she shook her head. "I mean, they're _your_ friends, I don't want to interfere." Though she didn't want to admit it out loud, Valerie was very hesitant to make friends in Smallville because then, she might actually grow to like this place. And liking Smallville meant letting go of Metropolis, letting go of her life, and letting go of her parents. She wasn't ready for that yet.

"You don't have to come." Clark's tone wasn't as nice as it was before; his tone was almost snippy, and Valerie was slightly taken aback. He had been so kind all day, and now he was snapping at her? It didn't add up. "I was just trying to be nice and appease Pete. If you want to stay home, be my guest."

With that Clark walked back to the house, leaving a confused Valerie to her own thoughts. "Nice going, Val," she muttered to herself, before a groan of frustration escaped her lips. With a small grunt, Valerie turned to wooden paneling next to her and punched it in frustration; her fist went right through the sheet, and after pulling her hand out she looked at the hole.

Valerie had never been one to use her powers; sure, on days when she was late for school she'd use her speed to get to school on time or when she had too many chores. Her strength had never been something she used, but that might've been why she never was good at controlling it. While her parents didn't discourage the use of her powers, or judge her for having them, they had always taught her that there was a time and a place for them. And in Metropolis, she never found them.

It didn't help that Valerie had inherited her father's temper. The amount of times she'd go behind her building and punch the shit out of the dumpster, or some of the wall, were too many to count. She had become good at controlling her anger in public, but when alone, it was hard to keep it all in.

"Valerie?" she heard her grandmother call, and quickly she covered up the hole in the wall. "In here!" she called, and headed towards the door to the barn. A small smile appeared on Beth's face and she pulled Valerie into a hug. "If you need anything, I'm just a call away, okay? I'll be on the next plane ride from Gotham."

"Grandma," Valerie laughed, pulling away. "I'll be fine, okay? These Smallville kids are nothing compared to the kinds of people I dealt with in Metropolis." Beth sighed and nodded. "And as for your powers—."

"I've got them under control," Valerie said confidently, though she was lying Beth couldn't tell. "Now will you stop worrying? It's not like I'm in a foreign country. I'm in _Smallville._ I promise to call."

The two hugged once more before exchanging last goodbyes and heading in their separate directions. "Oh, and Valerie," Beth said and Val turned around, seeing an object flying towards her. Catching it, Valerie opened her hand to see a pair of car keys. Looking up with a smile, Beth nodded. "Take care of my baby."

Valerie nodded, clutching the keys in her hands before heading into the house. Upon entering, Valerie's smile fell slightly at the scene in front of her. Jonathan, Martha, and Clark stood in the kitchen, laughing about something one of them had said before they stopped at the presence of Valerie. The air was a bit awkward, but Valerie had had enough of the awkward; this was her home now, and she wasn't about to sacrifice her happiness for this awkwardness.

"Clark why don't you help me bring Valerie's things up to her room?" Jonathan said, and after Clark shot Valerie a look he nodded. "Let me help," Valerie spoke up, walking towards a box and lifting it. Clark shook his head. "That's heavy," he said, taking it from her. "Don't want you getting hurt."

Valerie was about to protest, but what could she say? _I can lift cars, I think I can handle a box of shit, Clark._ No, that wouldn't work. A sigh escaped her lips and she let Clark have the box. This time. "We'll take your stuff, Valerie. Don't worry."

"Well, what can I do?" she asked, looking from Clark to Martha to Jonathan and back once again. The Kent's looked at one another before Martha spoke up. "You can help me with dinner," Martha offered a smile to the girl, and Valerie's smile grew as she nodded.

"I'd love to, Mrs. Kent," she said politely, unzipping her track jacket and putting it on the chair, leaving her in a white tee shirt as she headed towards the counter. Clark watched her a second before Jonathan handed him another box, snapping his from the stare the Valerie hadn't noticed.

"Please sweetie, call me Martha," she said to Valerie, and once again the girls smile widened and she smiled, beginning to assist Martha with dinner.

 **Hey guys! Here's chapter 2. I hope you guys like it.**

 **In response to a comment I got on chapter 1, I'd like to clarify that** ** _yes,_** **I do take suggestions from readers. If an idea pops into your head while you're reading, feel free to either comment it or PM me with it. If I like it and use it, all credit will be given to you. Plus, it's nice to get people like that, because it means you guys really like my story.** ** _And_** **it helps me continue to write.**

 **Anyway, yeah, that's it. I might post another chapter tomorrow, depending on how long my drivers ed class goes and when I go to my friends for Super Bowl. Love you all.**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	4. I Know What You Did Last Summer (3)

"Clark? _Clark._ Earth to Clark."

It was around 8:50, and Clark, Pete and Chloe had been helping Lana clean up the Talon for a few minutes when the former decided he needed to sit for a second. His eyes were distant as he was deep in thought, and when Lana noticed the look on her friends face she tried to snap him out of it; she shook his shoulder, called his name, and snapped her fingers in his face. Finally, she took the book that Chloe had brought and banged it against the counter; this caught Clark's attention, and quickly he was snapped from his thoughts.

"You okay, Clark?" Chloe asked, standing with Lana behind the counter as Clark looked between the two girls. "Fine," he shook his head, running a hand through his hair before looking back to them. "I'm just tired."

Truth was, Clark hadn't been sleeping much. In the two weeks that Valerie had been staying with the Kent's, the teenagers hadn't gotten along too well. They often bickered during their chores or while eating, but the second his parents came around, it's like she turned from sour to sweet and made him look like an asshole.

"Does that have anything to do with a certain fiery red head who's taken up residency across the hall?" Pete clapped Clark's shoulder and Clark looked at him, rolling his eyes. "So this girls a red head?" Chloe asked, intrigued. "Chloe…" Clark trailed off and the blonde shook her head. "What? She's never around when we're at your house, you won't let her come and hang out with us. Part of me thinks you made her up."

Lana nodded her head, hands resting on her hips. "I mean, all you do is complain about this girl, and we've never even met her before. What do you do, keep her locked in her room all day?" Clark laughed. "I wish." The girls gave Clark a look before he stood up.

"You guys don't get it," he said, turning to them. "It's like she wants to ruin my life; any chore I have, she gets up at the crack of dawn to get it done before me. She makes breakfast nearly every morning, helps my parents out with everything and makes me look like an idiot. We fight when we're alone but when my mom or dads around, she's like an angel. There's something wrong with her."

"Clearly," Chloe laughed. "I mean, she's got to be a little messed up to want to _help out,_ and God forbid she dislike Clark Kent." Lana rolled her eyes. "Maybe she just wants to help out; she probably feels weird about moving into your house unannounced and wants to make up for it by doing stuff around the house. As for fighting with you, maybe she feels weird around you. Maybe if you got to know her, things wouldn't be that bad."

"The few times I've met her, she seemed nice," Pete chimed in, and Chloe looked at Clark. "You let Pete meet her and not me?" Clark laughed. "He kind of just walked in, I couldn't really stop him. Now common, let's finish up so we can relax."

Just a minute from nine, the door opened once again. Clark and Pete had gone out back to bring the garbage out, Chloe was bringing the extra mugs into the kitchen and Lana was the only one actually in the seating area of the Talon, cleaning the tables. Looking up she spotted an unfamiliar girl, and standing straighter she left the rag on the table. "I'm sorry, we're closed."

Upon entering the Talon, Valerie looked around at the interesting interior design; it had taken her five minutes to find town, what with the Kent's living so far out of the center. Valerie had spotted the Talon in seconds, but had spent a good fifteen minutes to actually decide to park and come in.

Clad in a pair of shorts, a green long sleeve button up and a pair of white Converse, Valerie turned at the sound of a voice, her long hair whipping around as she turned. "I-I'm sorry. I just—."

Just as she was about to explain, Pete and Clark made their way back into the Talon, Pete's smile wide. "Valerie! What a surprise," he walked over to her, and just as he spoke Chloe entered as well at the name she heard; she and Lana looked over at the red head, eyes wide before back to Clark.

"So she does exist," Chloe muttered, but she was loud enough for everyone in the Talon to hear; the blonde stiffened when she realized how loud she had been, but Valerie just laughed. Everyone looked at Valerie kind of confused, and she shook her head. "Apparently, but don't tell Clark. He usually likes to pretend I'm not there half the time."

This caused the whole group to laugh—everyone except Clark. The scowl on his face was challenged by Valerie's pearly white smile, her head tilted slightly. Once the laughter died down, she walked further into the room.

"I'm sorry for just showing up; Pete mentioned you guys like to hang out here and when Martha suggested I try and make friends before school started, I figured here would be the best place to start. I hope I'm not intruding?"

There it was again; the sweet, angel like demeanor that Clark seemed to be able to see right through. To everyone but him she was this nice, lonely girl who just wanted to fit in, but to him, she was just a bitch. Valerie seemed to be manipulating everyone around him into thinking she was one way, but Clark knew she wasn't.

"Of course not," Lana shook her head, wiping her hands on the apron she had yet to take off before walking over to Valerie and offering her hand. "I'm Lana." Valerie shook her hand before nodding. "So _you're_ the famous Lana Lang? Oh we talk about you at dinner all the time," she laughed, and out of the corner of her eye Valerie could see Clark's cheeks turning bright red.

Lana laughed as well, and when the two released hands Chloe offered hers. " _Oh_ I wonder what Clark says about me when I'm not around," she smirked. "Chloe Sullivan." Valerie nodded. "The nosy journalist friend, right? I've read some of your pieces, you're an amazing writer."

Chloe wasn't sure whether to be offended by the nosy comment or not, but she decided to ignore it and take Valerie's compliment instead. "Well thank you," she said before Pete chimed in. "You know me," he smirked and Valerie laughed. "Yes, I do. How are you Pete?" she asked. "Much better, now that you're here."

Before Valerie could speak again the door opened, and everyone turned to see who else could be coming into the Talon after hours. In walked Whitney, and Clark wondered what he had done to deserve such a horrible night. "Hey, Lana I-."

Whitney cut off when he spotted Valerie, both of their eyes widening at the sight of the other. "Whitney?" Valerie asked, her smile turning a bit more genuine at the sight of her old friend. "Valerie, what're you doing here?" Whitney asked before pulling his friend into a tight hug, the red head returning it. "I just moved to town. I completely forgot you lived in Smallville."

Pulling away from their hug, Valerie offered Whitney a bright smile that he seemed to graciously return, and the group behind them was thoroughly confused. Lana cleared her throat, which caused the two to turn and look at them. "You two know each other?" Clark asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Valerie nodded. "We went to summer camp together," she laughed, pressing her lips together. "For like, eight years," Whitney added, looking over at Lana before going over to his girlfriend and offering her a kiss. Valerie made a mental note that Lana and Whitney were together, and just as their lips met Valerie looked over at Clark; she could see the pained look on his face that he tried to hide, and she made a mental note about that too.

Clark could feel Valerie's eyes on him and he turned to her, the two of them having a mini glare off; pulling away from Lana, Whitney noticed the two looking at each other before it clicked. "Oh _you're_ the girl living with the Kent's," he said, and snapping from her stare with Clark, Valerie nodded her head. "That would be me."

In an instant, Whitney's face fell, and another realization came to his mind. "Your parents," he breathed out, and suddenly the air in the Talon became extra thick. Pete, Chloe, and Lana looked to each other in confusion before looking at Valerie; Clark clenched his jaw, his eyes having never left the red head when she broke their gaze; Whitney looked directly at her, and Valerie was frozen solid. She hadn't spoken much about her parent's death since moving in with the Kent's, and a part of her thought that maybe, she was beginning to move on. But clearly, she wasn't.

"Valerie I'm so sorry I couldn't come," Whitney said simply, and sucking in a breath the red head shook her head. "Whitney it's totally fine," she commented, her voice sounding like she was trying to be strong, but ultimately failing. Though there were tears in her eyes they did not threaten to fall, just make her green eyes a bit shiny. "I spoke to Frankie at the wake and he told me you had a college thing that weekend. I totally get it, I'm not mad." Her voice was a lot calmer than expected, and after pulling from Lana, Whitney took Valerie's hands in his.

"I should've called," he said simply, and once again Valerie shook her head. "But I—." "—Didn't know what to say," Valerie cut him off. "I know you didn't, and that's okay. I didn't know what to say either when I heard about your dad." "But you still called," Whitney chimed in.

"Whitney Fordman," Valerie laughed. "I'm just a better friend than you are, it's okay." This caused Whitney to laugh as well, and after giving him a playful shove Valerie turned to the rest of the group. She sensed the awkwardness, and after shaking her head she walked over to the counter.

" _So,_ is the coffee machine still on? I'm dying for a latte and Clark makes horrible coffee," she commented, and broke the awkwardness. Lana coughed before nodding, her smile returning. "Yeah, I'll make you one," she nodded, but before she went behind the counter Whitney spoke up. "I'm gonna head out," he said, pressing a kiss to Lana's head and whispering her a goodbye.

"See you around, Val," he called behind him as he walked out, and as she sat on the bar stool Valerie turned to him. "I count on it, Fordman," she turned back to Lana. "Now, as for that latte…"

Laughter filled the Talon, and seated around one of the smaller tables were Lana, Chloe, and Valerie; behind the counter, Clark poured himself another cup of coffee. It was late, around midnight, but the girls were having way too much fun to call it quits anytime soon. Once the awkward ice was broken—with the whole Clark tension, and of course the Whitney thing—the three girls had begun talking and quite enjoyed each other's company.

Clark, on the other hand, was having less than a good time. These nights at the Talon had been the perfect time for Clark, because he could spend time with Lana without Whitney being around, as well as hang out with Pete and Chloe. But when Pete left around eleven, leaving Clark alone with the three girls who seemed to forget that he was there, Clark kept contemplating going home. He wanted to, but he didn't trust Valerie not to say something about him when he left.

So Clark sat back, drank his coffee and tried not to comment on certain things Valerie said; truth was, this was the first time he had really listened to her talk, and saw her engaged in a conversation she seemed to thoroughly enjoy, and it was a different side of her. She wasn't acting like she was an angel like she did in front of his parents, but like an actually nice, genuine teenage girl. Clark began to wonder if he had been wrong about Valerie all along.

The laughter didn't stop at the sound of a phone ringing; Chloe and Valerie both checked their pockets, but it was soon discovered that it had been the red heads phone who had rang. She felt a bit confused as to why someone was calling her at midnight, but answered it nonetheless.

"Hello?" she answered, biting down on her lip before furrowing her eyebrows. Lana and Chloe's laughter died down slightly, curious as to who had called Valerie, and Clark walked over to the girls. "Grandma it's one in the morning in Gotham, what's up?" Valerie asked, concerned, listening to her grandmother speak.

The red head nodded before letting out a breath. "I thought something was wrong," she laughed slightly, before shaking her head. "Alright grandma, love you too." After a _goodbye,_ Valerie closed her phone and turned to her friends. "She sent me a package and forgot to let me know that it was coming in a few days," Valerie explained and the other girls nodded.

"So she had to call you in the middle of the night?" Clark asked, and Valerie looked at him. "Pace women tend to do their best work at night; she was probably up working on something for the Gazette." Chloe leaned forward. "Your grandmother works for the Gotham Gazette?" she asked, and Valerie nodded. "She's editor and chief."

Chloe looked at Valerie in awe, but before she could start asking questions Valerie checked the time. "I didn't realize how late it was," she let out a laugh, looking at the other girls. "It's half past twelve." "It's that late?" Lana asked, looking at the clock on the wall before standing up. "Nell is going to flip out that I'm not home."

"I'll give you a ride," Chloe said, standing as well. "Since I assume we're all heading out?" Valerie looked to Clark a second before back to Chloe, nodding her head before sliding her phone into her pocket and pulling out her car keys. "So I'll pick you guys up at like, two and we'll head to the mall?" Chloe asked the girls, and after both nodded and all exchanged goodbyes, the four headed out.

Once out of the Talon, Clark stood on the sidewalk and watched as Lana walked with Chloe to her car. Once the two girls were safe inside, Clark looked to his left and saw Valerie still walking; he wondered why, seeing as there were virtually no cars parked outside of the Talon, she had parked so far away. He was about to call out to her, but before he could, Clark heard a noise from the other direction. He turned his head right, looked for a few seconds before looking back: when he did, Valerie was gone.

Panic ran through Valerie's body at the feeling of someone grabbing her, the person's hand tightly covering her mouth and her wrist. If she hadn't been so shocked, Valerie would've been able to react much more quickly, but she hadn't expected something like this to happen; Smallville was supposed to be a nice town, especially compared to Metropolis.

Not to say that people disliked Mark Pace, but the former Mayor of Metropolis was not only the most love man in the city, but the most hated. He was controversial, overly open-minded, and not what most people expected of the mayor of such a large city. He brought Smallville to Metropolis, but that didn't mean he didn't have enemies.

While Valerie never grew up in any direct danger, she had been in her share of unsafe situations because of her last name; there had been threats, there had been fights on the playground, and there had been times when Valerie thought she'd rip people to shreds. The people who loved Mark Pace really loved him, but the people who hated him wanted to see him suffer.

Still, Valerie possessed powers that people in the world would beg for; she had super speed and strength. She had never missed a day of school because of an illness because Valerie didn't get sick, and she'd never broken a bone in her life, much less bruised or scraped her knee. She was virtually indestructible, so why wasn't she fighting back against this guy?

Before she could try and pull away, the man that grabbed her had thrown her onto the floor, and Valerie's head banged against the concrete. A groan escaped her lips but her head didn't hurt; rolling onto her back, Valerie looked up to the man standing above her. Of course she didn't recognize him, but she made a mental note of exactly what he looked like (thank God for photogenic memories!).

Standing up, Valerie brushed off her shorts before looking back at the guy. He was actually quite a ways away from her, at least thirty feet, and she wondered how quickly he had grabbed her and pulled her into the ally, being that he needed time to move so far.

"Not smart," she called to him, not noticing the rips in the sleeves of her shirt as she rolled her sleeves up. The man laughed, and before Valerie knew it the man's arms were stretching to reach for her. Valerie closed her eyes, hoping for the best, before opening them again and realizing she could see right through the man.

Only once had Valerie used her x-ray vision, but that was months ago, and she wondered if it were just some freak incident or if she had actually developed that power. Clearly, it was the latter. Looking right at the guy, of course she saw a skeleton, but at his center there was a green tint. Looking to his arms Valerie could clearly see that they were glowing green, and she felt confused.

"Valerie!" She heard a voice call, and as she turned her head she saw Clark standing in between the two buildings she had been pulled through. "Clark!" She called back, but before she could get away the arms had wrapped around her body.

Instantly, Valerie began to feel an agonizing pain; being that she had never been hurt before, this type of feeling was completely new to the red head, but she didn't know where it was coming from. An agonizing scream escaped Valerie's lips, but she couldn't find the will to fight back. It's like she had been poisoned, and had no idea how to help herself.

Clark went into superhero mode, using his speed to appear in front of the stranger before pushing him backwards, though he didn't release Valerie from his grip; instead he raised her further into the air, causing Clark to worry even more. "Let her go," Clark threatened, and the guy just smirked. "Make me, Kent."

Clark was confused, seeing as he had never met this man before, but once again pushed him back; this time, the man went flying, letting go of Valerie in the process. Clark, however, hadn't realized Valerie had fallen, so he sped up to the stranger to make sure his point had been heard. Before Clark could speak, the man disappeared, leaving Clark even more confused than before.

Turning around, Clark's eyes widened at the sight of Valerie; she was lying in a pile on the floor, seemingly passed out, and Clark once again panicked. He sped up to her before kneeling down. "Valerie?" he asked, shaking her slightly before pressing his head to her chest. She was breathing, that was for sure, but he still worried that she was hurt. Using his x-ray vision he could see that none of her bones were broken, and just as quick as he turned the vision on he turned it off. He needed to get her home.

Lifting her up he quickly made his way home, completely forgetting about both of their cars in the heat of the moment. "Mom? Dad?" Clark called through the house, and in a second his parents were walking into the living room at the sound of their son's concerned voice. Martha's eyes widened.

"Clark what happened?" she asked as Clark placed Valerie down on the couch slowly, trying to keep her body even in case she broke something. He didn't want to do more damage. "This guy attacked her—he could stretch his limbs at least fifty feet, I think—and when I was trying to get him to let go he dropped her. I didn't see the rest," his voice was panicked, fear running through his body. Sure, he and Valerie weren't the closest of friends, but he didn't want to see her dead.

Jonathan kneeled down next to Clark and pressed his head against her chest. "She's breathing, and I checked I don't think anything's broken," Clark chimed in, looking at his father as his mother placed her hands on his shoulders. "Well then let's just give her time. I'm sure if everything's really alright, she'll wake up soon," Martha said simply. Clark and Jonathan looked up at her and she nodded. "Now Clark, why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed."

"I want to stay down here," Clark insisted, shaking his head. "I want to be here when she wakes up." Martha would've protested, but she could see the concern and fear in her son's eyes; it wasn't a school night, so it wouldn't be a problem. Martha pressed a kiss to Clark's head before nodding. "Alright, but go change. And bring a shirt down for Valerie."

Instead of using his speed, Clark took his time getting up to his room and changing into pajama's; truth was he wanted some time to think to himself before heading back downstairs. It was strange how one second, Clark was wishing Valerie would go back to Metropolis and leave him alone, and the next he was saving her life and worrying about her safety. Clark figured it was because he was a good person, but this was different. He had been worried about people he didn't know—or like—before, and this wasn't the same. It was a genuine kind of worry, one he felt for Chloe, Lana, Pete, or his parents.

After changing and grabbing one of his blue tee long sleeve shirts, Clark headed back downstairs as his father headed up. They exchanged a goodnight before the younger one made his way into the living room, handing his mom the shirt and going into the kitchen. Clark poured himself a glass of milk before chugging it down, letting out a sigh, and placing the cup in the sink.

"She's all changed," Martha said and Clark turned to her, nodding his head before his mother sighed. "There was nothing you could do, Clark," she added. "She's okay, you said so yourself. When she wakes up we can take her to the doctor if she feels off, okay?" Clark nodded, and the two said goodnight before Clark headed into the living room and getting himself comfortable.

Valerie didn't know how long she had been out, but when she opened her eyes she realized that it wasn't as dark out as she last remembered; another observation she made was that she wasn't in the back ally anymore but at the Kent house, wearing one of Clark's shirts, under a blanket when it was nearly eighty degrees out. She felt a bit confused, but all in all she didn't feel hurt at all.

The whole ordeal from the night before confused her to no end; Valerie had never been hurt before, but something told her that this guy wasn't any ordinary threat. He could stretch his bones to immeasurable lengths, and something was definitely up with the green glow that appeared on his body when she used her x-ray vision. She didn't know what it could be, but she knew that if she figured out what that stuff was, she might get some answers.

Sitting up, Valerie looked around the living room of the Kent house and after scanning the area, she saw Clark sitting in the arm chair next to the couch. _Has he been here all night?_ From the uncomfortable position he was in and the soft snore escaping his lips, Valerie thought so. _That's so sweet._ Sweet, and uncharacteristic of Clark. They didn't like each other, so why was he seemingly watching over her while she slept?

That was another thing that confused Valerie; Clark had come in a heartbeat to save her life, when they had spent the last two weeks hating each other. Sure, if the roles were reversed, Valerie would do the same, but she just found it shocking. In Metropolis, if you didn't like someone, that was it. With Clark it was different; he wanted it to be known, but still showed up to save the day.

That's when Valerie began to remember every detail from the night before; Clark had come into the ally with unnatural speed, and threw the guy back nearly forty feet. When she had looked at him with her x-ray vision still on she could see a glow coming from his body as well, similar to the green glow, only not green. More like a light coming from inside of him.

A part of Valerie wondered if he could be like her, but she quickly reminded herself that that was not possible. Or was it? Sure, there had been weird things happening in Smallville since the meteor shower, but she was the only one she knew of who could do the things Clark had done. This got Valerie thinking.

After a second she stood up, realizing how dry her mouth was and heading into the kitchen to get herself a cup of water. After turning the sink off and turning around, Valerie was startled by the sight of Clark standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked quietly; it seemed to be around four in the morning, and though she knew Jonathan would be up soon to start work on the farm, she didn't want to wake him before then.

"You're up," Clark said simply, and Valerie took a sip of her water. " _Nice_ observational skills, Kent. Ever thought of becoming a journalist?" Clark rolled his eyes at her comment, walking over to her and turning on one of the lights in the kitchen near Valerie; he wanted to get a good look at her, assess the damage—that is, if there even was any.

"And you feel okay?" he asked, and Valerie just nodded. "I feel perfectly fine," Valerie said truthfully, and Clark furrowed his eyebrows at her. "You sure? Because you sounded like you were in pain, and then that guy dropped you from like, forty feet in the air."

This was bad. So bad. Valerie never had any intention of telling Clark about her secret, especially not now. She couldn't. "It wasn't that high," she said simply before brushing past him. A few feet away the red head paused, turning to look at him. "I saw you."

Clark turned to look at Valerie, his eyebrows furrowed at her. "The speed, the strength—." "That's crazy, you definitely hit your head hard," Clark tried to cover up, but Valerie wasn't budging. "I'm not an idiot, Clark, I know what I saw," she said, walking back up to him.

"You came into the ally at an unnatural speed, threw that guy nearly fifty feet, sped up to him again and threw him again," Valerie explained, and Clark tried to figure out how to cover himself up. "I mean, I knew this town was a bit off because of that meteor shower but…"

Clark looked at her speechless; there was no use lying to Valerie. She knew what she saw, and though Clark only knew her a short while he knew that she wouldn't by some story he'd try to make up to get her to believe otherwise. A sigh escaped his lips, and he just nodded.

"You can't tell anyone," he started. "The only people that know are my parents, Pete, and Chloe and I—." "Tell anyone what?" Valerie asked. "What exactly do I know here, Clark? Because if you're going to ask me to keep my mouth shut, I'm going to need the full story."

That's where Clark crossed the line. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, no way. He didn't trust her enough. So he lied on his toes. "The day or the meteor, my birth parents left me on the side of the road. A meteor hit a couple hundred feet away from where I was, and it caused weird side effects," Clark said quickly. "Speed and strength, that's it."

Valerie was a bit suspicious; clearly the man that had attacked her was effected by the meteor shower, but he and Clark looked completely different under her x-ray vision. Maybe everyone effected by the meteors did, she wasn't sure, but for now she'd just buy his story.

Valerie nodded. "I won't tell anyone," she said simply, and he nodded her a thank you. She gulped down the rest of her water before placing it in the sink and washing her hands. She headed up the stairs, and about halfway up she stopped and turned to look at Clark.

"Oh and Clark," she said, and the boy looked up at her; he seemed to be deep in thought, but Valerie didn't care. "Thanks for saving my life." A smile appeared on Clark's face—the first genuine one he had given her since their conversation in the loft on her first day—and Valerie returned it. "Anytime."

 **5034\. That's how many words is in this chapter. 5034 words and 13 pages on Microsoft Word later, and here we have chapter three. I'm very excited, because this was an important chapter. Not only did it introduce all of our favorite canon characters, but it established the relationships we're going to be seeing in this story, and gave us some drama.**

 **My original plan was to do each chapter like an episode of Smallville, but when I reached 10 pages I realized that I needed to post sooner than later. So this one was cut here. I will probably be doing most of the chapters like an episode, but because the scene at the Talon was so long, I just couldn't do it. That, and I wanted to give you guys something.**

 _ **So**_ **important things to note and think about:  
\- Valerie and Whitney know each other. I wonder what kind of relationship they have/had?  
\- Clark saved Valerie, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Because he cares. Why? We'll have to see  
\- Valerie knows about Clark- sort of- but Clark has no idea about Valerie**

 **Just keep those things in mind as we continue with our story, because they're important af.**

 **Also, I just wanted to note that I won't be following the season 2 storyline** ** _completely-_** **what does this mean? Well, I will be making up villains as I go along, but there will be some instances where I borrow from episodes that I feel I really liked or were important. I will, however, be following bigger things, like Clark finding out his origins, and the whole Red K shit that does on. Those are very important parts to Clark's story, thus making them important to Valerie's as well.**

 **Oh and just to clear up,** ** _yes,_** **Valerie is also Kryptonian. But we'll get to that in later chapters and whatnot.**

 **Lastly, I have picked a face to go with Valerie, and that is Katherine McNamara. If you don't know her, she currently plays Clary in the Mortal Instruments TV series and was in the Maze Runner and a few other shows. I really like her face and attitude, and I wanted to do something different for Val; we have Lana, the brunette, and Chloe, the blonde, so I thought I'd add diversity. Plus, the red hair goes with part of her back story.**

 **IM SORRY THIS A/N GOT REALLY LONG I just talk a lot you know? So anyway, I'll let you guys go. Love you much. Comment and let me know what you think; if you've got ideas, don't be afraid to PM me. I'm always open to ideas, and I love having people I know read my story to bounce idea's off of when I get stuck (just ask highlander348).**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	5. Secret's Out (4)

If there was one word to describe Valerie Pace, it was argumentative; she loved to go against what other people were thinking or saying, especially if it were something she was passionate about. Another word to describe Valerie Pace? Passionate. About everything. Especially things she didn't want to do.

So in the two days after the whole accident in the ally, Valerie had argued every argument in the book as to try and convince Clark and his parents that she didn't need to go to the doctor. Truth was, she had never been to the doctor before in her life, because her parents feared that if a doctor got a good look at her internally, they'd find something off.

"What if I told you I was afraid of doctors?" Valerie stood in the kitchen with Clark and Martha, leaning with her hands on the island as the two stood on the side with the sink; it was early, and the teenagers were still dressed in their pajamas from the night before. All the day before, Valerie had been relaxing, cancelling her shopping plans with Chloe and Lana at Clark's request and just watching TV; she eventually wandered outside and tried to help Clark with his chores, but ended up just sitting and watching because he didn't want her to strain herself.

"That makes no sense, your mom was a doctor," Clark said quickly, and it was easy to tell that he had struck a nerve in Valerie; they hadn't talked much about her parents since she moved in, but truth was she didn't want it to be weird to talk about them. A sigh escaped Valerie's lips and she nodded. "She's the only doctor I liked, but we all know what happened," she snapped.

A sigh escaped Clark's lips and Martha looked at him, pressing her lips together before looking at the girl. "Valerie, Clark was just trying to help; we're all worried about you. You took a pretty bad fall the other night." "Look, Mrs. Kent," Valerie let out a sigh. "I'm fine. _Really._ If I was bleeding internally we'd know by now." Martha sighed. "Plus, do you really want to take me all the way to Metropolis _today?_ It's the first day of school. I really don't want to miss it."

The tone of Valerie's voice finally broke Martha, and she couldn't help but smile at the girl. She was quite nervous for her first day, and only Martha could really tell because she could remember being a teenager starting at a new school. "Alright," she nodded. "Now go get ready."

Valerie's smile brightened at Martha, but turned a bit snarky when she looked at Clark before she headed up the stairs to take a shower. Turning to his mother, Clark still had a concerned look on his face. "I'm telling you mom. She was thirty feet in the air." "I hear you Clark, I do. But I mean, you said so yourself. You see nothing broken or bruised or anything, and she feels fine. I think we just need to trust her judgement."

Clark sighed and Martha squeezed his arm. "Mom I told Valerie," he said, looking at his mother who had a confused look on her face. "Not everything, just parts. She saw my speed and strength, and I just told her that I was effected by the meteors like everyone else; Chloe talked her ear off about the Wall of Weird at the Talon the other night, so she bought it."

Martha wasn't entirely sure what to say so she just nodded her head. "Okay," she finally said, and Clark's face was nervous. "Okay. I will talk to your father when he gets home." Pressing a kiss to Clark's head, Martha motioned for the stairs, and with a smile on his face Clark headed up.

After stopping in his room to check the time, Clark pulled his pajama shirt off before heading to the bathroom. He noticed the door was only open slightly, and he couldn't remember if Valerie had taken a shower the night before, or if she was planning on taking one now. He stepped forward, and just before he could push the door open, something caught his eye.

In the crack between the door and the door frame, Clark could see Valerie standing in front of the mirror in just her tee shirt, her pajama pants on the floor by her feet. Looking at herself in the mirror she ran her fingers through her hair, seemingly thinking about something, before reaching down and pulling her shirt over her body.

Every sensible inch of Clark told him to turn around and leave, but the part of Clark that was just a sixteen year old boy made him stay put. Standing in his bathroom was a fiery red head with a great body, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear; her hair reached just below her middle back, and after pushing her hair from her face, she turned to go into the shower.

That's when Clark quickly sped to his room, closing the door and leaning his back against it; he didn't know what came over him before, but that was so unlike him. He's never stare at a girl like that, let alone a naked girl that had no idea he was there. He felt like a creep, but it was more than his boyhood that made him stay. No, it was something much stronger; he was telling himself to leave, but it was like his body and brain had disconnected, and he could not move.

After a few minutes of pacing his room, Clark decided to give the bathroom another go. Once he reached the door he could hear that the shower was still on, and could feel the steam coming out from the cracks. A groan escaped his lips and he knocked quite forcefully on the door, leaning his head against it.

"What're you doing in there Valerie, watering all of the farm?" he called and heard a laugh from the other side of the door; after a second he heard the shower turn off, and soon after the door was opening. In front of him stood Valerie wrapped in a towel, her hair seemingly longer and darker with the water in it. He quickly looked her up and down before she smirked at him; looking up at her, he could see she had been doing the same thing.

"It's all yours, farmboy," she said before brushing past him and heading to her room. "Thank you," he sighed before going in the bathroom, making sure the door was closed and locked, and stripping down naked. Clark hung up his towel and got in the shower, closing the curtain and turning the water on. It was freezing. A yelp escaped his lips and he quickly turned the water off. "Valerie!" He shouted, and she just laughed from her room.

 **XXX**

Clark walked through the doors at Smallville High, stuffing his red plaid button up into his backpack as he maneuvered through the crowd of students. It was one of the hottest September's on record for the small town, and while on the bus Clark had broken out in a sweat. Having a white tee shirt on underneath, he decided to strip from the warm material and opt for a much lighter solution.

Going his usual way, Clark made it to the _Torch_ office with time to spare, but was still stuffing his shirt in his bag. "Looks like someone had a rough morning," Chloe commented when she saw Clark, and he just looked at her. "Valerie used up all the hot water this morning, so my shower was freezing which made _me_ freezing. By the time I got on the bus I was sweating to death, I barely managed to get my shirt off before I had a heat stroke."

"Oh woe is Clark," Chloe smiled at him, and after finally getting his shirt in his bag he zipped it up and put his backpack normal on his back. "Speaking of Valerie, where is she?" Clark shrugged. "She left before I did this morning. My mom mentioned something about her grandmother's Volvo and needing to get her schedule, but I wasn't really paying attention."

"And how she doing after the other night?" Chloe asked, her eyes on the computer in front of her. "She says she's fine." "I still can't get any leads on what you gave me the other night," Chloe looked at Clark. "A guy who can stretch his arms thirty feet isn't exactly much to go buy, Clark." "Did you get Valerie's medical records?"

A sigh escaped Chloe's lips. "All her records are sealed," she said. "Valerie's mother was her physician before she died, and everything—and I mean _everything—_ was given to Valerie. Accounts, purchases, files." Chloe clicked on a document and turned the computer to Clark. "Her father probably would've given her the mayor's position if he was able to."

"So you're saying the only way to get to Valerie's medical records, is through Valerie," Clark sighed when he finished reading, and Chloe nodded. "Her parents were very private people. They only had one copy of all their documentations, so it would be harder to track down if anyone decided to. It's like they wanted to remain a mystery to everyone. Even after their deaths."

Clark looked to Chloe. "So we have to get those files," Clark stood up and grabbed his bag; Chloe stood as well, and she shook her head. "Look Clark, I love a good mystery as much as the next journalist, but I don't think this is such a good idea." "Why not?" he asked. "Because it's… sensitive."

Clark gave her a look. "I mean, her parents died _literally_ three months ago, here in Smallville, while visiting your parents, and clearly she's still trying to get on with everything. I don't think asking for her private medical records is such a good idea." "Pete and I will look after school," Clark nodded, but Chloe gave him a look. "Take her to the Talon with Lana for an hour."

"Oh no, I am _not_ helping you investigate this poor girl," Chloe shook her head, and Clark took a step towards her. "You're not, you're just being a good person and asking the new girl to hang out after school." Chloe wanted to say no, but her curiosity was too strong, and she really wanted to know why Valerie's things were so hidden away; so, she cracked. " _Fine._ But if you get caught, I know nothing." "Thank you," Clark gave her a quick hug before the bell rang. "I've gotta step by my locker, I'll see you in English."

Clark began to make his way to his locker when he noticed people looking down the hall, seemingly interested in whatever was at the end. Reaching his locker he did what he had to do but his curiosity got the best of him; looking down, all he could see was the back of someone's head. That someone had bright orange hair.

A sigh escaped his lips when he heard someone call his name. "Hey Clark!" he turned and spotted Valerie walking towards him, his eyes widening slightly.

Valerie looked hot. She wore a basic grey ribbed tee shirt, with a collar and buttons running down the middle; the shirt was cropped, but her midriff only showed slightly. Her red, white, and blue colored plaid skirt swayed with her hips as she walked, and as Clark's eyes followed her long legs he noticed the new pair of white Converse that were on her feet.

But not only did Valerie look hot because of her clothes, she looked like she was physically sweating: which, in fact, didn't help Clark anyway. Her forehead seemed to be slightly shiny from sweat, and her still damp hair slightly frizzing from the heat.

"Uh, Clark?" Valerie said again a few seconds later, snapping Clark from his thoughts. He noticed the smirk on her face and he rolled his eyes, closing and locking his locker before beginning to walk down the hall. Valerie followed.

"What's that, the second time you've checked me out today?" she said when she was next to him, checking her watch. "And it's not even eight thirty." Clark stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her, people still looking at them. "What?" he asked in a lower voice, and Valerie couldn't help but laugh.

"Clark, I know you were checking me out through the space in the bathroom door," she matched his tone in a mocking way, her smirk never faltering. "And I mean, I get it; you act all defensive and rude around me because you're not used to such an assertive and attractive young woman living in the same house as you. If I were in your shoes, I'd be curious too."

"What? No," Clark shook his head defensively, trying to avoid looking anywhere but her face. He could feel his eyes beginning to sting, but each time he blinked the stinging seemed to go away. Valerie just laughed and nodded before looking to her schedule.

"Anyway, do you know where the biology lab is?" she asked, biting down on her lip. Clark again began to feel slightly uncomfortable before nodding his head. "I'm actually heading there right now, I'll show you."

Valerie thanked him and the two walked in silence. She was about to speak up when she caught something out of the corner of her eye; she stopped in her steps, head turning to the man that was walking out of the Coach's office. Her eyes widened and she took a step back slightly, bumping into Clark.

"Uh," he began to feel uncomfortable again, Valerie's back pressing against his front, and it seemed like there was no way he'd be able to move the small yet persistent girl. "Valerie are you okay?"

"That's him," she said only loud enough for Clark to hear, her eyes following the man as Clark looked up to see who she was talking about. "The guy who attacked me in the ally—that's him, Clark."

Clark shook his head before turning Valerie to face him, moving her away from him slightly in the process. "Mr. Mann? Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and she quickly swatted it away, an annoyed look on her face.

"I'm serious," he could hear it in her voice, but he just shook his head. "Mr. Mann's been coaching football here since he graduated from Smallville High; he played with our dads." There was an awkward pause there, and Valerie sucked in a breath. "He'd never hurt a fly."

"I know what I saw Clark," Valerie shook her head, turning slightly to look at Mr. Mann down the hall; he was talking to a boy in a letterman jacket, but a second after Valerie looked at him his eyes locked with hers. They seemed threatening, but by the time Clark turned to look his eyes lightened up and he smiled and turned back to his conversation. Valerie was about to go off on Clark about not believing her, but the bell rang and the two teens looked at each other. A sigh escaped Valerie's lips and she followed Clark to the biology room.

In a first day of school style, Mrs. Muller introduced herself to the class and assigned seats; the desks fit two students, and there were three rows in the classroom. Clark was placed in the middle of the first row, and just a seat over and up sat Valerie. The biology room seemed to be hotter than the rest of the school, and everyone could feel it.

"Since it is the first day of school, and you all seem too overheated to do any actual work today, we're just going to watch a video on lab safety and pray the air conditioning is fixed by tomorrow," Mrs. Muller told the class, and after pressing play she shut off the lights and went to the back of the room.

Valerie could not remember a time in her life when she felt so overheated, and it didn't help that she didn't have a hair tie on her to get her thick, red locks off of her neck. As the video played Valerie only half paid attention, instead opting to try and find a way to cool off. She took a sip of the water in her backpack, used her shirt to air herself out, and alternated in pushing all her hair to one side of her head to keep it off of her neck.

All the while Clark had his eyes on Valerie, watching her as she crossed, uncrossed, and re-crossed her legs millions of times; since she was leaning on her arms on the desk her shirt was riding up quite a bit in the back, and every time she moved her hair to the right side of her body he could feel himself sweating more and more.

It wasn't until ten minutes into the video, however, that Clark began to feel his eyes start to sting again; each time he had brushed it off as nothing, but clearly it had something to do with Valerie. He watched as she moved her hair to the right side, her left hand coming up to rub the back of her sweaty neck. He could see the uncomfortable look on her face, and as she bit down on her lip, Clark's eyes once again began to sting.

But this time, it was more than a thing. His eyes were straight up burning, and a small groan escaped his lips at the feeling; Clark closed his eyes, and after a second he opened them. The burning intensified, and he began to see red. Then, he saw fire.

The first spew of fire that came from Clark's eyes buzzed past Valerie, causing the girl to turn her head in Clark's direction with wide eyes. Before she could speak up more fire came out, this time he turned his head so that the fire hit the projector. This continued for a few seconds before it stopped, and Clark blinked profusely. When he finally got normal vision back Clark could hear the fire alarm going off, and he could see that everyone was running from the fire that engulfed the screen.

"Clark!" Valerie shouted once more, tugging at his arm to try and get him to leave the room. Since he was snapped from whatever just happened he turned to look at Valerie, who raised her eyebrows at him. "Let's go before we're burnt to a crisp."

The two teens ran out of the classroom and eventually, out of the school, where the rest of the students stood as the fire department's sirens roared. Clark was going to stop when he spotted Lana, but it was no use. Valerie's grip on his arm was strong, which caused his eyebrows to raise as she dragged him to the outer rim of students.

Stopping them she turned to look at him, and just as she was about to talk Clark noticed something on her face. "Uh, Valerie—""What the hell just happened?" Valerie cut him off, clearly angry. Clark was taken aback at her tone, having never heard her speak like this before. "What were you trying to do—" "Valerie." "—light my hair on fire?" "Valerie." "Burn my face off?" "Valerie. _"_ "Make a spectacle of me?" " _Valerie!"_ "What?!"

When Valerie finally stopped talking, Clark let out a sigh before his hand came up and ran right down the bridge of her nose. Valerie wasn't a fan of people touching her without permission, and before she could start yelling at him again he turned his hand so that his finger was facing her; it was covered in ash.

Valerie's eyebrows furrowed before her own hand came up to touch her nose, and when she pulled her hand away a section of it too was covered in black soot. Looking at it for a second she let out a breath. "So you were trying to kill me," Valerie stated simply, looking up at Clark. "Real nice Clark."

"Valerie…" Before Clark could try and explain himself, the fiery red head had already turned away from him and began making her way to her car; there was no way school would be continuing for the day, and she was truthfully annoying with Clark at the moment. As she walked to the car she could see people staring and whispering, and she became more and more annoyed by the second.

By the time Valerie reached her car she was stomping, truly angry about the entire situation; Clark had tried to light her on fire _with his eyes—_ which meant that he had lied the other night, he had to have more powers than strength and speed—and she looked like an idiot on her first day of school. All she wanted was to make a good impression, and it was all ruined by _him._

Climbing into her car Valerie slammed the door, banging her fists against the steering wheel—sometimes she wondered if she really were related to her father, considering she had inherited his temper quite nicely considering the fact that they weren't actually blood. After banging a few more times she shoved the keys into the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, beginning to drive home.

And she drove for a while, until the anger bubbling up inside of her became distracting and she pulled over onto the side of the road, just a mile from the Kent house. Valerie pressed her hands to her face for a second and then proceed to move them against her skin and through her hair. A sigh escaped her lips and her hands landed in her lap; that's when she saw it. Her hands were black as night.

Her eyes widened, and quickly she pulled down the visor and flipped the mirror open; her entire face was covered in black soot, as well as the edges of her hair and down slightly onto her neck. Then, a realization set in; the fire that came from Clark's eyes must not have gone past her face, but it must've hit it all together.

This scared Valerie. Sure, she was aware of the fact that she didn't feel pain—other than the night she was attacked by Mr. Mann, and she knew she needed to figure out _how_ he was able to cause her to hurt—but she should know if someone lit her on fire. Shouldn't she? Valerie sure thought so; any normal person would. But then she remembered that she _wasn't_ normal. She fell from the sky the day of the meteor shower, and possessed Earth-shattering powers. She surely wasn't normal.

Before she could think any further Valerie started the car up again and pulled back onto the road, beginning to drive the rest of the way to the Kent farm. Her left hand guided the steering wheel while she whipped her right on herself: her skirt, her shirt, her leg. Anything to get the blackness off of her hands so that she could drive. Once satisfied she did the same with her left hand, driving with her right.

Pulling into the farm she parked before slamming the door and walking in towards the house. The loud sound of the door caused Martha to come to the front, and when she came out a look of concern played on her features at the sight of Valerie.

"I just got a call from the school; are you alright?" Martha asked as Valerie stormed into the house, the former following behind the girl. "Fine," the red head snapped, making her way up the stairs. Of course Martha followed her into her room, where Valerie went right over to the mirror.

"What happened?" Martha questioned and Valerie paused from her examination, turning to look at the woman. "What happened?" she asked back, a short laugh escaping her lips. "Well, in usual first day of school fashion, Clark shot fire out of his eyes and tried to kill me." Martha's eyes widened. "It hit the ceiling, and a piece of paneling fell right on my desk, which is why I'm covered in ash."

Valerie hated having to lie to Martha like this, but how would she explain that she had actually been hit by the fire, and she hadn't been hurt? She couldn't, so lying was her best bet. She'd have to tell that to Clark too, and probably Chloe and Lana later, who would probably tell a bunch of people. Clark would tell Pete, she knew that for a fact.

"That doesn't make any sense, Clark would never—." "Yeah well, he did," Valerie was quick to cut her off, and this time Martha could see how angry and upset she truly was. "Valerie…"

The red head sighed, shaking her head. "Look I'm just going to wash up and get a head start on my chores," Valerie said in a deflated tone and Martha just nodded, squeezing the girls arm before heading out of the room, leaving Valerie.

After looking in the mirror for a few seconds she sighed and made her way to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth from the closet on her way there. She proceeded to wash her face and hands and had moved on to her legs when she head a knock on the door. Valerie turned her head, spotting Clark standing there. After looking at him a second she hopped onto the counter and placed her foot on the counter, beginning to wipe her leg off and ignore Clark.

"I didn't try to kill you," he said simply, realizing that she was going to ignore him. Clark took a step into the bathroom and watched her as she wiped her leg, distracted for a second before looking at her face. "And I didn't lie to you; I've never been able to do this before, I don't know where it came from." Valerie paused her actions before looking up at Clark, a serious look on her face. Their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds before he took the washcloth from her hand and wet it quickly before wiping it across the area bordering her skin and hairline.

"Missed a spot," he said quietly, looking down at her a second before handing the washcloth back to her. Valerie took it, sucking in a breath. Clark coughed before taking a small step backward, rubbing the back of his neck. "What I don't get is how you're not in the hospital right now."

Valerie was taken aback, so Clark decided to elaborate: "You fall from thirty feet in the air and you're fine; you basically get lit on _fire,_ and the only setback is that you're covered in ash. It just doesn't add up." Valerie shook her head. "First of all, it was only like, ten feet at max. And second of all, you didn't actually light me on fire," she said, hopping down from the counter when she realized she was all clean. "It hit one of the ceiling panels and it fell. That's what covered me."

"That's not what happened," Clark insisted, shaking his head and grabbing her arm. Valerie looked back at him, and without hesitation she pried his hand from her arm with ease. This shocked Clark, just like her strength had shocked him when she was dragging him through the crowd. "And that—how are you _so_ strong? None of this adds up?"

"What do you want me to say, Clark?" Valerie asked, turning her whole body to face him as her hand flew in the air. "I'm invulnerable, I have the strength of ten men, and I'm from another _planet!"_ Her voice was loud, full of passion, and her thoughts clearly weren't thought out. Both of them paused at the same time, looking at each other.

"Are you?" Clark's voice was quieter than before, but not so much a whisper as a normal tone. A short breath escaped Valerie's lips before a short laugh, and she shook her head. "That's insane," she insisted, almost too sure in her answer, as if she were lying. Clark's eyebrows raised at her. "Is it?"

Valerie took a step back from him, her eyebrows furrowing. "What're you trying to say?" she asked in a serious tone. "Do you know something I don't?" "I don't know, Valerie," he said, and again she was fed up with him. "Well when you do, let me know," Valerie said in a sharp tone, backing out of the bathroom before turning and heading to her room.

 **XXX**

After one of the weirdest conversations of his life, Clark decided to talk to his dad. They tried to figure out what had caused his sudden heat vision, but nothing came up. When Valerie came out to the barn, changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a green tee shirt, the tension rose, and Clark went back in the house.

He decided then to take another shower to try and calm himself down. Clark didn't know what had come over himself during school, or what had triggered his heat vision, but as he showered he tried to think. Clearly the stinging in his eyes was some sort of indicator, and he tried to figure out all the times that day he had felt that: seeing Valerie in the bathroom, when she had approached him at school, during the video, and in the bathroom less than an hour ago.

Other than the fact that it was nearly 100 degrees all four times, there was nothing those scenes had in common: other than Valerie. Clark through back and tried to remember everything from those moments, and then it clicked; his heat vision was triggered by sexual arousal.

Which was the strangest thing ever; he had seen Lana that morning in the Talon, and he had felt nothing in his eyes. Only with Valerie. He didn't feel any attraction towards her: she was annoying, demanding, and confused him to no end. There was no way he found her hot. But then again, he did.

Clark quickly got out of the shower after that and changed; looking out the window in his room he could see Valerie heading out to the chicken coops with a sack feeder in her hands, and he wondered how she was able to carry that? His father had a hard time carrying it on his own, and Valerie was a fifteen year old girl. It just didn't add up.

That's when Clark was sure she'd be preoccupied for a while, and decided to go look in her room for _anything._ He carefully went through her drawers, her bags, under her bed—anywhere that she might hide information like that. He was in her room for nearly fifteen minutes when he stumbled on his only piece of information: a legal document.

It was only about two pages long, but as Clark skimmed the sheets it looked like the forms stating that Valerie would be in the care of the Kent's until she turned eighteen, or until her grandmother could move to Metropolis to take care of her. At first glance it seemed like nothing, but when Clark got to the back page, a plethora of information was revealed.

First was basic information: full name, date of birth, parents, street address. As he read further down, however, the document revealed more. Towards the bottom was the numbers on both Valerie and her parent's licenses, the license plate numbers of all the cars owned by the Pace's, health insurance, and lastly, Valerie social security number.

Clark quickly went to his room and grabbed a piece of paper before writing down all the important information from the two pages before putting the document back where it came from and heading back to school. When he got to the Torch he explained everything to Chloe and Pete, showing them the information he got. The three spent the afternoon using all they could to try and find _anything._ For hours, there was nothing.

"This is pointless," Pete pushed back his chair to be on the same said as Chloe and Clark, and the two looked at him. "I mean, think about it. Her dad was filthy rich and hella powerful; if he wanted something hidden, chances are he got it. And clearly, their stuff is hidden well, because we've been at this for hours and nothing. Not even Chloe." The blonde sighed in defeat.

"Yeah maybe we should call it a night," Chloe said, looking to a defeated Clark. "It's almost eight and I still have to send out a bunch of emails before it gets too late." Pete agreed, and after saying goodbye he and Clark headed out together.

Chloe was sending out her emails when something Clark said earlier stuck out in her mind: why would Mr. Mann want to hurt Valerie? It didn't make any sense, but seeing as none of them had looked into it, she decided to. Less than ten minutes later, she got results. A smile appeared on her face, and she called Clark.

"I decided to do more digging," She said, pressing the phone between her shoulder and ear as she printed out what she needed. "Turns out Mr. Mann and Valerie's father weren't exactly the best of friends in high school; during a practice play Mayor Pace tackled Mr. Mann and injured him for the rest of the season. That was sophomore year, and it secured Mayor Pace a spot as wide receiver for the rest of high school. He literally booted Mr. Mann out of his place." Clark responded before Chloe stood, and then she cut in. "But wait, there's more."

She grabbed her papers from the printer. "Apparently Mr. Mann was part of a group that would rally against Mayor Pace. Every election season they'd try and get people not to vote for him, only to fail when he'd be voted mayor once again. Mr. Mann despised him to no end, which is motive for attacking Valerie."

Chloe stopped talking abruptly, hearing a sound from outside of the Torch. "Chloe," Clark said when the blonde stopped talking. "Sh." Quietly, Chloe made her way towards the doorway and looked out the hallway. That's when she spotted Valerie by the biology room. She saw the red head go in, probably to retrieve her bag, and Chloe felt guilty. After everything Valerie had been through, Chloe felt bad for snooping into her past.

"Chloe, you there?" she heard Clark say, and just before Chloe could reply, she heard a scream coming from the biology room. Her eyes widened, and in panic she dropped her cell phone and her papers and ran into the room.

It was only when Chloe barged into the room that she realized how dumb she was; if anything she should've told Clark to come, because surely he'd be able to fight off whatever was hurting Valerie. But instead there she stood, helpless, watching as Mr. Mann attacked her. "Valerie!" Chloe shouted, hoping to distract Mr. Mann. The coached stood between the two girls, and after a second his arms extended; one wrapped around Valerie, and the other Chloe.

Chloe struggled to get out, but stopped when she heard the painful groan escape Valerie's lips. Again she tried to get out, to at least get to her phone to call Clark. But she couldn't, and she was powerless; the only power she had was her words. So she decided to use them.

"Mr. Mann, why are you doing this?!" She shouted, causing the middle aged coach to turn to look at her. "Because I couldn't get to her father first," he explained. Valerie was listening, but her pain was distracting. She tried her hardest to ignore it, so she would know what was going on, but it was no use.

"Over what? A position on a high school football team?" Chloe questioned. "That injury caused me my chance!" Mr. Mann exclaimed. "I had scouts looking at me, schools approaching me as a sophomore to play for them, and then the injury Mark caused ended it all. I was benched for the whole season, forced onto second string. He ruined everything!"

Chloe and Valerie could feel his grip tightening, and the former started to feel like she was suffocating; she wasn't in as much pain as Valerie, but it was definitely there. "So when I heard that Mark and his wife were dead, and that his daughter had moved out here, I thought it was the perfect time to get my revenge," Mr. Mann continued. "And I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for you and Kent!"

"Leave her alone!" Valerie finally got out, heavy breaths escaping her lips as she looked at Mr. Mann. Chloe looked at Valerie, whose eyes caught hers, and Chloe silently sent her a sense of gratitude; she didn't seem to care about herself, as long as Chloe was okay. Mr. Mann looked to Valerie before nodding. "Fine," he said before throwing Chloe out the window.

The second the glass had settled Clark sped in, unaware of what had happened with Chloe, all his focus on Mr. Mann and Valerie. Grabbing onto the coach he threw him into the hallway, causing him to drop an unconscious Valerie onto the floor of the classroom. The two fought for less than thirty seconds before Clark knocked him out, but not before various threats left coach's lips. He called the police, who promised were on their way.

Hanging up he turned at the sound of a door opening and saw Valerie standing there, her hair and clothes a mess, but less beaten up than the other night. "Where's Chloe?" Valerie asked, and Clark furrowed his eyebrows at her. Valerie's eyes widened, and without thinking she used her speed to be next to Chloe's body in less than a second. Clark was shocked, but followed.

"No!" Valerie exclaimed, dropping to her knees next to the blonde. Clark did the same and pressed his head to her chest. His eyes widened. "She's not breathing," Clark said, beginning to do compressions on her chest. Valerie grabbed onto Chloe's arm tightly, shaking her head. "No no no, this can't be happening."

That's when something strange happened. Clark could see a bright light out of the corner of his eyes and he stopped his actions, looking to the light; it was coming from Valerie's chest. The light traveled from her chest down her arms and to her hands, transferring to Chloe's body. Her entire body glowed and Clark watched with his eyes wide. The light became blinding for a second before completely going out.

Clark and Valerie looked at each other, confused, before they heard a noise; Chloe gasped for air and sat up, coughing. The two looked at the blonde in disbelief, and in turn she looked to them. "How…" Clark trailed off, and Valerie shook her head. "I have no idea." The three teens stared for a few seconds before they heard sirens.

 **XXX**

After the usual questioning and the arrest of Mr. Mann, Clark, Chloe, and Valerie headed to the parking lot. They were all tired, achy, and most importantly, confused. They didn't talk to one another much in the hours they spent at the school after the whole ordeal, and walked in awkward silence. Reaching the two cars, Chloe looked to Clark and Valerie.

"Did I die?" she asked them, and Clark cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. You did," he nodded, and Chloe turned ghostly white. "But Valerie did something…" "I don't know what I did," she said simply, looking up at them. "I grabbed your arm and just kept thinking, ' _This isn't fair. She was just trying to help. She should get to live.'_ Then the light thing happened, and you were fine."

"So does that mean you guys are alike?" Chloe asked another question, causing Valerie and Clark to look at each other. Truth was, they weren't sure what had happened, but clearly there were more similarities between them than they had originally thought. They both shrugged.

Before anyone could speak Chloe pulled Valerie into a hug, which the red head gladly returned. "Thank you," the blonde whispered, and Valerie smiled. "Just returning the favor."

The three exchanged goodbyes and Clark and Valerie got in her car; she drove them home in awkward silence, and when she pulled into the Kent farm the two just kind of sat there, waiting for the other to speak up. Clark looked at Valerie, who was playing with her hands, and sighed.

"How'd you heal Chloe?" he asked and she shook her head. "I don't know; I've never done that before." Again Clark sighed and he unbuckled his seatbelt, turning his body to face Valerie more. "Val, we're got to be honest with each other right now. After Mr. Mann's threats—." "You think I'm lying?" she snapped before getting out of the car. Clark followed.

"I never said that!" He shouted and she stopped in her tracks, turning to look at him. "If we're going to talk about being truthful, then let me ask you this," Valerie walk back up to Clark. "You're different than Mr. Mann, you weren't effected by the meteor shower, it's something else. What is it?"

Clark didn't know what to say, but in the end he wanted to be honest with her; clearly Valerie had some sort of secret similar to his, and after what he hear Mr. Mann say, he knew that they had to be honest with each other. For not only their safety, but for the safety of their friends and Clark's family.

"I'm not from here," Clark said simply. "And by here, I mean I'm not from Earth." He paused, but Valerie didn't say anything, so he continued. "The day of the meteor shower, I came to Earth in a space ship. My birth parents sent me here with the meteors—why, I don't know. All I know is that because of this, I have powers: speed, strength, x-ray and head vision—."

"And invulnerability," Valerie cut in, looking him dead in the eye. Clark stood confused. "You've never been sick a day in your life, and no matter how many times you've fallen you've never gotten a scratch or a bruise or anything. Nothing can hurt you. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you're floating above your bed, but the second you're aware you're crashing down on the mattress and breaking the bed all together."

Clark sucked in a small breath, nodding his head. He was about to ask her a question, but Valerie continued: "My parents found me outside of Gotham City the day after the meteor shower in Smallville," she paused. "In what we believe to be a space ship. It's stored at my grandmother's ski house."

Before Clark could talk again, Martha and Jonathan immerged from the house, both concerned. "We've been worried sick about you two!" Martha called and the two turned, slightly startled by the unexpected voices. "Come inside, both of you." Martha walked down the steps and grabbed both of their arms, bringing them inside and to the kitchen. Jonathan could feel something wrong, and as the four sat in silence, he decided to speak up.

"Whatever you two were talking about outside seemed pretty serious," he said. "Care to share?" Valerie and Clark looked at one another, not sure what to say at first. Clark gave her a look, and in turn Valerie nodded her head. "Valerie and I are more alike than we thought."

"Haven't I been trying to tell you that, Clark?" Martha smiled. "I told you, if the two of you just sat down and talked everything would—." "No, mom. Not like that," Clark but in, looking at both of his parents. "Valerie came from space. Like me." "Hold on," Jonathan shook his head. "How do we know she's telling the truth?" "We don't, Dad. But I believe her."

Valerie bit down on her lip to stop herself from saying anything; she hated when people talked about her like she wasn't in the room. The only thing she hated more was when people thought she was lying. Valerie didn't lie, she didn't like to, so when people doubted her it got her angry.

She was about to speak when Clark cut in once again. "Dad, go get a piece of meteor rock," he said, and Valerie's head quickly turned to look at Clark. "What's that supposed to do?" she asked as they both stood, Clark moving over to his dads side of the island, leaving Valerie alone. "It'll prove if you're telling the truth," Martha said. "And why would I lie?" Valerie asked. "I— _how_ would I even know what to say to lie about this? Clark didn't tell me anything until tonight and why—."

Valerie cut off when Martha came back and opened a small chest, revealing glowing green meteor rock; the older woman held the rock close to Valerie who began to feel the pain she felt when Mr. Mann was strangling her, stumbling backwards and grabbing onto a nearby chair for support. A cough escaped her lips and her breathing became heavy, but she didn't know why.

"Dad that's enough," Clark insisted, and Jonathan closed the small chest. A slight gasp escaped Valerie's lips and she once again stumbled at the sudden end of her pain, grabbing the chair once again. Opening her eyes she looked at the Kent's, who all looked at her with amazement. Allowing herself to stand straighter, she let out a breath. "Told you I was telling the truth."

 **XXX**

Valerie couldn't sleep. After her third wash up of the day she tossed and turned for hours, but by the time she was in bed it was already past 1 am and she was too riled up; after the revelation that she and the Kent's had made, she had been thinking a lot. Clearly they knew a bit more than she did about her and Clark's origins, which made her wonder what those were. She never really had much interest in where she came from, because she had a good life and liked to believe that everything happened for a reason. But in knowing that she indeed came from _somewhere,_ not just out of thin air, and that there was someone in the world that understood what she had been dealing with for fifteen years, was not only comforting, but it made her think.

Finally fed up around three Valerie got out of bed, grabbing the white night shirt she had tossed off in a sweat and pulling it on when she noticed a light in the barn's loft. She figured that Clark was up there, and instead of just lying in her bed, she headed outside.

Walking up the steps quietly like usual she could see Clark looking up at the stars through his telescope, not noticing that she was here. Valerie walked over to be next to him, and though he didn't acknowledge her, she knew that he was aware of her presence.

"Do you ever stare up at the sky and wonder if any of those stars is where you come from?" she asked after a few seconds, eyes not moving from their staring contest with the stars. Clark stood up straight and looked over at her. _Even in her pajamas and her hair tossed up messily she looks beautiful._ "All the time," Clark answered, causing Valerie to look at her.

"You know when I was a kid, I would play pretend by myself when my parents were out, and I'd always pretend to be my real mom," Valerie said, a small and genuine smile on her face. "I'd come up with a million and one reasons why she'd decide to send me here, but each time I wouldn't be satisfied with the answer." A short laugh escaped her lips at a memory. "Sometimes I'd even worry myself to tears, trying to figure out how parents could decide to send their kid across space, and trust two complete strangers with her."

"So you've known your whole life?" he asked, and she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "That you came from space." Valerie nodded. "My dad showed me the space ship when I was five, because I demanded to know why a small five year old could lift couches." Clark nodded. "What about you?"

"Mine told me last year," Clark smiled at her. "I was desperate to try out for football and couldn't understand why my dad wouldn't let me. So he told me that I was different; obviously I knew that. I had the speed and the strength, and I never got hurt or sick, but then he showed me the ship. And it all kind of became real." "Have you told anyone yet?" Valerie asked.

"Just Pete and Chloe," Clark answered, and Valerie bit her lip before speaking again: "You haven't told Lana?" she asked, and he shook his head. Valerie could tell that Clark didn't want to talk about her, so she decided to let it go. For now.

"My question is, when am I going to be able to do what you did to Chloe?" Clark asked with a smile, which caused Valerie's smile to widen and a laugh to escape her lips. "Maybe our powers develop differently; I mean, clearly you have more control over yours than I do. That's probably because I never use mine." Clark laughed. "I wouldn't say I have too much control, especially after today."

"Did you ever figure out what caused the heat vision?" Valerie asked and Clark froze. "I mean, something had to have triggered it, right? And it couldn't have just been the heat or else you would've lit the whole school on fire," Valerie laughed and Clark joined in nervously. She raised an eyebrow. "Tell me. Now?"

Clark groaned. "It's got something to do with hormones and stuff," he tried to brush it off, but Valerie just wouldn't let it go. She tilted her head and took a step towards him. "What kind of hormones?" she asked, and he hesitated. Clark looked at her eyes before his teenage instincts kicked in and he looked down her shirt slightly, then back to her eyes; when he did, his eyes were glowing red, and Clark looked away just in time to stop the heat vision.

"Oh my god," Valerie said, coming to a realization. Clark looked back at her with bright red cheeks, and a smirk was on her face. "Your heat vision is triggered by sexual appeal." Clark was going to defend himself, but it was no use. She was right. "So this is all your fault then?" he said, trying to not be embarrassed. "Me? What'd I do?" she laughed.

"It started when I saw you half naked this morning," Clark admitted. "And then today at school, the stinging happened again when we were walking to class, and during the lab safety video. I saw you out of the corner of my eye just before I lit the school on fire." "Which would explain why the flames were aimed at me," Valerie couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking her head. "Well I'm flattered, Clark. Really."

"Yeah well, don't let it go to your head," he smirked at her, and a small yawn escaped Valerie lips. She was beginning to feel tired, which she attributed to talking to Clark; not that he was boring or anything, but she felt a lot less riled up and stressed after their conversation. "I should probably try and get some sleep," she said, looking at him. "You coming?"

"Nah I think I'll stay up here," Clark decided. "You should too; sunrises from the barn are the best." Valerie laughed at his enthusiasm. "I'll have to take a rain check on that one." Clark's smile faltered only slightly and he nodded. She offered him the same smile before heading down the stairs. Halfway down she stopped.

"Oh, and Clark?" she turned to him and he looked to her; in a blink of an eyes Valerie was standing in front of him, her smile never having left her features. Before he could answer she pressed the lightest of kissed to his lips, pulling away only a second or two later, leaving Clark shocked. "Thanks for saving my life… again."

Clark fumbled with his words, still shocked at the fact that she had kissed him to form a proper sentence right away. "Just don't make it a habit," Valerie spoke again, her smile turning into a smirk. "Don't need people thinking I need you to save me every time." Her tone was a joking one and he could hear that. Nodding, Clark's smile grew. "I'll keep that in mind."

Valerie nodded, licking her lips. "Goodnight," she said, and before he could answer, she was gone.

 **Hi guys!**

 **I know, it's been over a week since I've updated and I'm sorry about that; last week I was on vacation so I couldn't post, which is why I made _this_ chapter so long. A lot of stuff has happened, a lot of important stuff. I sort of based this off of episode 2x02 _Heat_ because I really liked the episode and all that jazz, so I put my own spin on it.**

 **VERY IMPORTANT THING: I have a polyvore account, which I put in my profile, where I will be putting almost all of Valerie's outfit's and any other outfit's that I feel need visual (I'm a visual person, I like that stuff. It just helps you know?). They're labeled by chapter, so if you ever are having trouble visualizing Valerie's style or anything, it's a good source. I know I'm not the best when it comes to clothing description, so I thought this would help.**

 **More important things to note and whatnot:  
\- _Valerie_ is what triggered Clark's heat vision, not that teacher lady or Lana. There's a reason for that  
\- Clark trusts Valerie, even after all of his dislike and disdain for the last few chapters. Why? He doesn't know. All he's aware of is that when Valerie told him her story, he knew it was the truth  
\- Valerie and Clark have revealed their secrets to each other, which could mean a lot of things. Note that Valerie is less experienced with her power than Clark is because she really doesn't use them, but she is still very powerful. Even Clark is shocked at how powerful she is  
\- Clark mentioned something about Mr. Mann's threats, but we aren't sure what those are yet; they'll play a major role in this story, and we'll learn more about those threats next chapter  
\- Valerie has the power to heal, but no heat vision; Clark has heat vision, but no power to heal. Is it possible they could have varying powers? (s/o to highlander348 for this idea)  
\- There was a Clark and Valerie kiss, one very unexpected by Clark, but he's not exactly upset about it? Think about how Clark was when he first learned about Alicia Baker in season 3, and how her similarity to him made him instantly attracted to her. Also remember that Clark and Valerie are somehow connected through their past, so this all plays a role **

**Just some things to think about until next chapter, which might be sooner than later because I have ideas running as I type.**

 **So let me know what you guys think! I love getting emails with comments and PM's from you guys, because it shows you care and all that and it warms my heart. Like always, my inbox is always open to suggestions, so if you think of anything that could help improve the story, let me know! I always give credit where credit is due.**

 **Until next time, my loves  
xoxo  
Paige**


	6. Power Within (5)

"You told them?"

It was Saturday morning, and much to Valerie's dismay Clark had come into her room bright and early to wake her up, saying that they had plans for the day and that they needed to get their chores done before eight. That was two hours ago, and as it neared 8:30 Chloe and Pete had shown up. The four were in the barn, and as Valerie began to wonder what their plans were, she expressed them.

 _'_ _We're going to work on controlling your powers_ ,' Clark had said as the four entered the barn, which caused Valerie to stop in her tracks and grab Clark's arm, angry. "Clark, what the hell?" she asked, causing Chloe and Pete to turn to look at the two. "I told you it was a secret."

"But they know my secret," Clark explained, pulling his arm from Valerie's grip but noticing that it was slightly difficult. He ignored it. "Besides, if we're all going to working together we can't have any secrets." Valerie let out a huff. "Oh, right, like Mr. Mann's threats," she said. "Which, you've yet to tell me. It's been like four days, Clark. What'd he say?"

Chloe and Pete had turned to look at the pair, and it was clear that Clark had become slightly uncomfortable; pressing his lips together he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Clark had avoided telling Valerie what Mr. Mann had said since that night, but he knew that eventually she needed to know. It wasn't his secret to keep.

"Well," he sighed. "He warned me, said something about him not being _the only one coming after you_." Valerie's eyebrows furrowed and Clark took a step closer to her for comfort. She swallowed a lump in her throat and took a small step with Clark, but away from him. "So he wasn't exaggerating," Valerie laughed slightly before shaking her head.

"Who?" Chloe asked, tilting her head. A sigh escaped Valerie's lips. "My father left me this long letter in his will—among other things," she explained. "And it talked about a lot of things. The Kent's, my grandmother, the spaceship. And then there was this whole part about these… _people_ who wanted my dad out of office." Valerie paused. "I mean yeah, there were always people who didn't love my dad but in the letter it seemed like more. Like they wanted him dead."

"Mr. Mann did say something about that," Chloe butted in, eyes turning to her. "He mentioned that since he hadn't had the chance to… off your parents that you were the next best thing." Valerie had a bit of a scared look on her face, but she tried to hide it. Chloe squeezed her arm and Pete and Clark looked to each other a second before the latter nodded. "Which is exactly why we need to make sure you know how to control your powers."

"Bring it on, Farmboy."

And so they went through the motions; speed, X-ray vision, and healing were the first three, and it was clear which ones she actually used. Valerie and Clark raced to and from Metropolis five times, and three of those Valerie was back at the farm just seconds before Clark was. He chalked it up to her cheating, or just being new at this, but in the back of his head Clark was curious.

X-ray vision and healing were a bit harder, but after much practice Valerie had mastered the former and was still working on the latter; of course healing would be hard, considering she had just discovered this power, but they were working for it. "You'll get better at it when you have to use it in real situations," Clark explained.

"So how's your strength control?" Clark asked Valerie as she took a sip of the water that Pete had been kind enough to get her; at his question Valerie choked on her water slightly, her hand covering her mouth as she coughed for a few seconds. Clark gave her a concerned and confused look, Chloe and Pete doing the same from their seats on the stairs. "You okay, Val?"

Valerie's coughing instantly stopped as Clark took a step closer to her, her mind suddenly distracted; it wasn't the first time she had been called _Val,_ but never by Clark. He usually just called her Valerie, which was normal for the red head, and she liked the sound of her name coming from his lips. But _Val_ sounded even better; it sounded comfortable, yet nervous enough for Valerie to find endearing.

"Valerie?" Clark repeated, which snapped Valerie from her thoughts and caused her to cough once more. His eyebrows furrowed and a nervous laugh escaped her lips, shaking her head. "Why don't we save that for another day?" she asked nervously, crossing her arms over her chest as Clark's eyebrows raised at her. He looked suspicious.

"Answer the question," Clark said in a serious tone. A sigh escaped her lips. "I wouldn't exactly say I have much… control over my strength, per say," Valerie tried to explain. Clark gave her a look, and another sigh escaped her lips. "I only developed the extreme strength like, last year or something."

Again, Clark was confused. "I've had mine since I was like, four," he said and Valerie shook her head. "I mean, I've always been strong, but it got bad last year." Clark looked at her to continue. "It got... _out of control_ last year," she explained. "Like I put several holes in the floor of my parent's apartment from simply walking from room to room."

"Seriously?" Pete asked from the stairs, and Valerie just nodded. "I didn't go to school for a good two weeks because I was scared I'd break everything I touched," Valerie continued. "It was horrible. I mean eventually I got it mostly under control but there are times when I don't even realize I'm using it." She paused. "Like when I punched a hole through the barn my first day here."

Valerie cursed under her breath and Clark's eyes widened. "Where?" he asked and she sighed, walking over near the door of the barn and moving a piece of wood paneling she had moved to cover the hole. A sigh escaped Clark's lips and Valerie just shook her head, covering the hole back up. "We have a lot of work to do."

For the next hour, Clark had Valerie pick up different things and use different degrees of her strength. It was a hard task, but truth be told Valerie found that when she was using her strength things were quite easy. Some of the things she lifted even Clark had a hard time with sometimes, which baffled and confused him. Not only was he confused, but Clark was also a bit jealous. And it showed.

"Okay how about…" Clark looked around before spotting the two heaviest tractors on the farm; the four had moved outside of the barn for more room. Clark was able to carry one at a time with ease; it was together that he had a problem. With the ego of any normal high school student he wanted to prove that he was stronger than Valerie, and he had figured out how to. "Those."

Valerie looked at the tractors, eyebrows furrowing. "Both of them?" she asked and Clark nodded. Chloe crossed her arms over her chest with a confused look on her face, knowing that Clark himself had a problem with carrying both tractors, and she wondered what his intentions were.

And so without hesitation Valerie walked over to the two tractors, looking between them to try and figure out the best way to try and lift both of them at the same time. She bit down on her lip before bending down, placing one hand under each tractor, and after letting out a breath standing up; the tractors came off the ground with ease. A very obvious ease, because Clark's eyes widened. After seeing Clark's face Valerie smirked before tossing the tractors into the air, speeding to their destination, and catching them both, one in each hand. "I think I'm getting the hang of this," she said, placing the tractors down and speeding up to Clark.

"Dude, she's stronger than you," Pete chimed in, causing the super human's to look at him. "No she's not," Clark responded quickly, which made Valerie look back at him with an offended look on her face. "There's no way." "And why not?" Valerie asked quickly. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

Clark shook his head, ready to come back with a response before Chloe butted in: "How about we settle this the best way we can." Clark and Valerie looked at her, and Chloe smirked. "Arm wrestling contest."

At first, Clark was reluctant to agree, but after much teasing from Valerie about being _scared of losing to a girl,_ he was quick to give in. They had decided to use the remaining stump of a tree that Jonathan had cut down a few months ago instead of a table in fear that one of them would break it, and after heading out into the woods Clark took off his button up because of the heat.

Valerie watched as he handed the flannel to Chloe, clad in only jeans and a white tee shirt now; her eyes watched him and she licked her lips, but then she realized what he was doing. Clark was trying to distract her with his tight shirt and strong muscles, but Valerie wouldn't have it. If he was going to win, it had to be fair.

And in Valerie's mind, the only way to make this fair was to do the same as Clark. When she knew his eyes were on her she pulled off her tracksuit jacket and handed it to Pete, asking him to hold it for her as she flipped the hair in her ponytail behind her shoulder; her back was to Clark which was perfect, considering the blue halter top she was wearing was backless.

After a hand came up to rub the back of her sweaty neck Valerie turned to Clark, a smile on her face. "You ready, Kent?" she asked, and noticed his slightly distracted eyes. They flicked up to look into Valerie's and he cleared his throat, nodding. "Are you?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

Clark knew exactly what Valerie was doing, but with his heat vision under control he was good; at least, he tried to tell himself. Truth was everything Valerie did lately was a turn on for him as much as he hated to admit. But he wouldn't let her distract him.

The two knelt down on either side of the stump, elbows resting on it and hands locking. Chloe and Pete stood opposite each other, ready to watch. "Ready, set, go!" Chloe announced. In seven seconds the back of a hand was slamming down onto the stump: it was Clark's.

His eyes widened but Valerie's poker face did not falter, looking from their hands to Clark's face. "Best two out of three," he insisted and Valerie nodded. Again Chloe counted down and again, Clark's hand his the stump; sure, there was a bit more of a struggle this time, but it took Valerie under five seconds to win. Clark was even more confused. "Three out of five."

And so it went: four out of seven, five out of nine, six out of ten. They had been versing for nearly ten minutes when Valerie slammed Clark's hand down so hard, it split the wood. This was Clark's signal to give up. The two super teens looked up at each other, hands still locked together, expressive looks on their faces; Clark looked defeated, and Valerie looked cocky.

"Looks like you were wrong, Clark," Valerie said as she stood up, wiping the dirt off of her leggings as Clark stood slowly. "I'm stronger than you." A breath escaped Clark's lips and he ran a hand through his hair, trying to wrap his head around this. "But don't worry, I'll still let you do all the heavy lifting chores if it'll make you feel more _macho."_

Laughs could be heard from Chloe, Pete, and Valerie, but it was clear that Clark was far from amused. Grabbing his flannel Clark was quick to speed away, and the laughter was quick to stop. A sigh escaped Valerie's lips and she gave Chloe and Pete an apologetic look before speeding away herself, following Clark.

He was in the barn, and so when Valerie followed she stopped on the ground level. She watched from her spot as Clark threw his flannel down onto the couch, sitting down himself and placing his head in his hands. This made Valerie feel guilty, and she headed up the stairs at normal speed.

"Are you crying?" she asked, trying to be lighthearted and hopefully cheer Clark up as she knelt down in front of him, hoping to be eye level. "Common Kent, this isn't the end of the world. If anything, me being stronger than you should lift a bit of weight off your shoulders." She paused, a short laugh escaping her lips and Clark's head lifting to look at her. "Get it? Because I'm strong I can lift some of it?"

Clark gave her a confused look before shaking his head and trying not to laugh. Valerie's smile grew bright and she giggled, shoving his shoulder playfully. "Common, you know that was funny," she nodded, and after a second Clark nodded in agreement, his head still down. "And I promise, if we ever have an arm wrestling contest in public, I'll let you win."

After a few seconds of silence Clark looked up at Valerie through his eyelashes and bangs, an almost young and innocent look on his face; Valerie's expression was similar but a bit brighter. She was about to say something funny, or sarcastic, or witty, but before she could Clark had leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Similarly to the other night the kiss ended before the surprised party had time to react, causing the two teens to sit in closed-eyed silence for a good five seconds before opening their eyes. Valerie let out a shallow breath, her face still dangerously close to Clark's as his eyes wandered her face. When they set back on Valerie's eyes, he only had a second to look into her green eyes before she kissed him again.

This kiss, however, was different from the previous two; neither of them were too shocked, and both were able to react almost instantly to it and reciprocate. Valerie's hands came up and cupped Clark's face, his hands resting comfortably on her waist and pulling her closer; after a few seconds Clark swiftly lifted her onto his lap, her arms moving to wrap around his neck.

After a few blissful seconds the kiss turned heated, as most kisses between two hormonal teenagers did, and their bodies were pressed tightly together. Between the heat of the Kansas air and the heat between the two bodies both Valerie and Clark began to sweat, hands wandering: hers through his hair, and his down her sides and back.

The heavenly kiss was cut short at the sound of Martha's voice echoing through the barn; she stood at the side door, calling Valerie and Clark's names to let them know that lunch was ready. Pulling away from one another just enough to be less distracted, Valerie looked down at an equally out of breath Clark with a smile on her face. "We'll be in in a second mom," Clark called quickly.

Once they heard Martha walk out of the barn their lips were once again pressed together frantically, hands rough, and for a few more seconds they continued their bliss. At the same time they pulled away, once again breathless, but both with smiles on their faces. "We should probably go inside," Valerie whispered, her fingers brushing Clark's bangs from his face as his hands squeezed her hips.

Before he could answer she un-straddled his waist and offered him a hand, pulling Clark from the couch with ease; she went to walk off but Clark's hold on Valerie's hand was strong, pulling her back for one more airy kiss. "Race you to the house, power free," he whispered in her ear before running towards the house, Valerie followed

When the two teens entered the kitchen their laughter filled the room, but it stopped when they realize who was inside; Pete and Chloe had made their way back and were talking with Jonathan and Martha, who had been accompanied by Lana. Instantly the air between Valerie and Clark was tense as _he_ tensed, taking a step away from Valerie. "Lana."

"I called Lana and invited her over for lunch," Martha explained before placing the platter of sandwiches on the kitchen table and motioning for the teens to sit. Chloe, Pete, and Lana all sat and took their sandwiches, but Valerie and Clark stood frozen.

Looking over at Clark it was easy to see the look in his eyes: regret. Regret for having just made out with Valerie in his barn for ten minutes while clearly still harboring feelings for Lana Lang. Valerie could feel the strings of her heart being pulled as Clark brushed past Valerie to go sit, next to Lana of course, and suddenly Valerie felt her throat close. Her like for Lana began to shrink.

She must've been standing there for some time, because Chloe turned and gave her a concerned look. "Val come sit," she said, snapping Valerie from her thoughts. When Valerie didn't respond right away, Pete, Lana, and of course Clark looked at her, the latter giving her a concerned look. She let out a breath.

"You know I'm not that hungry," she said in a sunken voice and Clark stood. "Val—" Clark tried to stop her, but Valerie was quickly making her way upstairs, tears threatening to fall. She bumped past Clark quite forcefully—he could tell that she was using her strength—and he stumbled back slightly, watching Valerie as she headed up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door.

 **Hello my wonderful friends!**

 **Here's chapter five; a little shorter than my previous chapters, but that's okay. I was going to make it longer but I felt like this ending was more suitable than trying to write a shit ton more and try and make it work. Plus, I wanted to post something because the positive feedback from last chapter made me so happy.**

 **More things to note:  
\- Yes! Valerie ****_is_** **indeed faster and stronger than Clark. I think I've mentioned this before but we'll find out exactly why this is later on when Clark and Valerie learn about Krypton and their connection and whatnot.  
\- I mentioned this in the beginning (when I spoke about canon changes) but I'm gonna mention it again: both Chloe and Pete know about Clark, so I thought it'd be best if they knew about Valerie too.  
\- We have more Valerie/Clark kisses! And this time, it got a bit heated. It's clear that these two are attracted to each other, and Clark can't deny how he makes her feel, but at this point it's similar to the Chloe/Clark/Lana. His feelings for Lana haven't gone away, which will clearly put a strain on his relationship with Valerie.  
\- Valerie doesn't like Lana; I know in their only interaction it was clear that the two got along, but it's been a bit of time since that day at the Talon. We'll go further into Valerie and Lana's complicated relationship next chapter.**

 **That's really it; I know a lot didn't happen this chapter, and it is a bit of a filler, but I felt like this stuff needed to be done and posted sooner than later. A bunch of people were asking about Valerie's powers in comparison to Clark's, and about their relationship, so I thought that this short little chapter would satisfy everyone.**

 **Don't forget to leave some comments telling me how awesome (or crappy) this chapter was, and just a reminder that I** ** _love_** **receiving** **PM's! If you've got an idea, or something just rubs you the wrong way, or you need some clarification, or just wanna chat, I'd love that! It makes me so happy when I get PM's because it makes you guys really involved in this, which is awesome :)**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	7. Runaway Pace (6)

Valerie didn't remember the last time she had played her guitar; in the weeks after her parents died Valerie couldn't even look at it, let alone play it. She had asked a friend of hers to put it in its case and stick it in the back of her parent's closet, knowing that if it was there that she wouldn't go and get it until she was completely ready. It had been months, and while she thought about retrieving it every day that summer, Valerie seemed to forget about it with the craziness of moving to Smallville and living with the Kent's. It wasn't until the whole ordeal with Clark that Valerie even remembered she _owned_ a guitar.

After sitting up in her room for hours and waiting for everyone to leave, Valerie was finally satisfied around four o'clock; Clark was out on the farm helping Jonathan with something Valerie didn't pay much attention to, and Martha was in town grocery shopping. Pete, Chloe, and Lana had left just a half an hour before, but Valerie waited until she was sure she could get to her car without anyone seeing her.

And so Valerie sneaked out to her car and drove to Metropolis without even thinking to mention it to anyone; she had gotten lost along the way, but once she was in the city Valerie followed the all too familiar streets all the way to her home. The apartment building Valerie had live in for nearly thirteen years of her life was the nicest in the city, and the penthouse was a place built for a king; or the mayor of Metropolis at least. Once up in the spacious apartment Valerie unplugged all the phones in the house, took the battery out of her cell, and closed all the blinds.

It was nearing six o'clock when Valerie reached her apartment and after eating a quick bowl of cereal she went to bed; the red head couldn't remember the last time she went to bed before at least nine, nor could she remember the last time she slept through the night. She figured it had to have been right before her parents died, but she couldn't remember the exact time; she knew that was because at the time, she didn't know it would be her last good night sleep for a while. Valerie had gone to sleep that early June night expecting to wake up the next morning and call her mom, not being woken up at two in the morning by phone calls from her grandmother.

It was a restless sleep but a sleep nonetheless, and around seven on Sunday morning she was lying in her parent's bed wide awake. She had been trying to go back to sleep for a half hour when she finally gave up; sitting up Valerie pulled her hair into a messy bun and straightened out her sleep shirt before getting out of bed. Slowly she walked over to her parent's walk-in closet and stood in the middle of it, spotting her beautiful guitar with her X-ray vision, hidden behind old shoe boxes her mother just couldn't throw out.

Valerie remembered when her father gave her the guitar; she was eight, and after learning her first cords on her father's old guitar he had decided to buy her one that would last for many years. From there Valerie proceeded to teach herself how to play, all while showing her father step by step. It was their bonding time, when Mark wasn't too busy running a city. As a child she would put on shows for her parents and whomever was around, showing her skills.

It took Valerie a good ten minutes to get the guitar out of the case, and another twenty to convince herself to play it and not to cry. She hadn't cried since the day of her parent's funeral, and she knew that if she cried now she'd never get to play the guitar, which was the point of this whole trip. That, and to get out of the Kent house for a little while.

After taking a few seconds to re-tune the guitar Valerie began playing the first song she had ever learned to play on the guitar: Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. Valerie could remember times when her father would play this song for her to get her to go to sleep; as a child Valerie had a lot of sleeping problems, and from the time she moved in with the Pace's until she could play it herself—at age eight—Mark would play Isn't She Lovely every night for Valerie.

By the time Valerie had finished playing the song there were tears pouring down her face, the words leaving her lips more as sobs than as anything else. But she had to finish. So when she was done Valerie let the back of the guitar rest on her thighs and her head was down, tears falling freely and hitting the guitar like rain on the busy sidewalks of Metropolis. She didn't even try and stop the tears; it felt good to cry.

Valerie sat in the middle of her parent's closet for a good hour, playing the guitar and just crying; not only crying about her parents but about everything. She missed her friends and her school, and hated herself for caring so much about Clark. Her mother always told her that the love in Valerie's heart was her best asset, but would also be her biggest weakness. She allowed herself to care quickly and fall easily, which often landed her in difficult situations. Valerie thought she had learned by now, but clearly she hadn't.

Part of her believed that the reason she had developed feelings so quickly was because of the fact that clearly, Clark and Valerie shared a common origin, and that he was the only person on the entire planet that could understand her situation. It made her feel normal, and safer, no matter how abnormal and unsafe she really was. There was a clear threat, and she was an alien. But knowing that Clark was going through the same thing made things look better.

When she was finally done feeling sorry for herself Valerie packed up her guitar and brought it into her room; she quickly grabbed a few things from the apartment that she wanted to take back to Smallville with her and packed them into a bag, took a shower and got dressed: a pair of army-print jeans, a plain white tee shirt and a pair of black Doctor Martin boots. She tied her wet hair back in a half-up half-down style before grabbing her bags and driving back to Smallville.

Even after her shower Valerie's face was still a little red and puffy, and with all her make up at the Kent's she hadn't even tried to cover it up. Sure, she could've used something of her mother's, but nothing of her parent's stuff had been touched since their deaths, and besides, Valerie and Donna Pace had completely different skin tones.

Once she parked her car where she usually parked it on the farm, Valerie grabbed her bag and guitar before making her way to the house. She entered without being questioned, but the second the door slammed shut she could hear the sound of three pairs of feet moving from their spots upstairs through the hall and down the stairs. Standing in the kitchen Valerie turned, seeing Jonathan, Martha, and Clark make their way down.

"Valerie where have you been?" Martha questioned as she approached the girl, and suddenly Valerie was beginning to become sensible; she had left the farm with no warning, no call, nothing, and spent the night in Metropolis. A sigh escaped her lips. "Don't freak out, okay? I'm fine," Valerie said, avoiding Clark's eyes all toghther. "That still doesn't answer the question," Jonathan said in a stern voice, one that reminded Valerie of her father. "Where have you been?"

It was all too freaky for Valerie, and after sucking in a tight breath she maneuvered through Martha and Jonathan and turned to face them, closer to Clark than she anticipated, feeling like she could breathe again. "I—I was in Metropolis," she pushed out, pressing her lips together in an effort to keep composed. "Spent the night at my old apartment."

"So you just left without telling anyone?" Martha asked as the Kent's turned to face her, nodding her head without hesitation. A sigh escaped Jonathan's lips and Martha rubbed her right temple, shaking her head. "Look Valerie, I don't know what kind of rules your parents had set up for you, but you can't just leave in the middle of the night without telling us," Jonathan explained, and Valerie wanted to roll her eyes but refrained from it. Of course she knew that, but her judgement had been compromised at the moment, and she felt like Jonathan was talking to her like a five year old.

"Especially with Mr. Mann's threat," Clark chimed in, talking for the first time since Valerie had returned; she turned her head to look at him, a clearly unsatisfied look on her face, before looking back to Martha and Jonathan. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I just… got a bit nostalgic and needed to be alone for a little while. I should've called."

Jonathan's face softened slightly at her words and then he noticed the guitar case in her hands. He stiffened. "Is that your father's guitar?" he asked and Valerie looked to the guitar before back at Jonathan, shaking her head. "No it's mine. My grandmother took his back to Gotham with her." Jonathan nodded.

The air in the room was thick, and after letting out a breath Valerie spoke: "I'm just going to go and unpack the rest of my stuff; don't worry, I won't run away to Metropolis again." A small smile appeared on her face as she headed up the stairs and towards her room. On her way up to her room Valerie felt a gust of wind past her and to no surprise, Clark was in her room when she reached it. A sigh escaped her lips.

"You really don't know how to respect other people's privacy, do you Clark?" Valerie asked as she walked past him, placing her bag and guitar case down on the bed before unzipping both. She thought that maybe if she ignored him, he'd go away, but clearly that wasn't the case; as Valerie pulled some folded shirts out of her bag and turned she realized Clark was still there, and had moved closer to her. She bumped into his chest and dropped the clothes, cursing before bending down to pick them up. Clark did so as well, and when their hands touched they both froze and looked up at one another.

After an intense stare down for a few seconds Valerie grabbed the shirts, now balled up, and stood, walking over to her dresser and stuffing them in the middle draw. She pushed the draw closed but accidently used her strength, a loud slamming noise echoing through the room and the dresser banging against the wall. A small groan escaped her lips and Valerie's eyes closed a second as she took deep breaths.

"Valerie are you okay?" she heard Clark say, and after a second she opened her eyes and turned to look at Clark. There were tears in her eyes, but she fought them back expertly as she nodded her head. Clark sighed. "Then why's your face all puffy and your eyes bloodshot?"

"I smoked a bit of pot before coming in the house," Valerie said smoothly, walking back over to her bag and once again grabbing a handful of folded clothes, bringing them to her dresser to put them away. "Figured it'd help with the impending lecture, but your parents were surprisingly not as mad as I thought they'd be."

"Cut it out, Valerie," Clark's voice was harsh, and Valerie's joking manner fell quickly as a poker face appeared once again. "Are you okay?" "Perfectly fine," Valerie answered quickly, shaking her head. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to finish unpacking and do some homework."

 **XXX**

"We're just in two different places right now," Lana sighed, pouring coffee into three mugs just after locking the doors to the Talon. She stood behind the counter, with Valerie and Chloe sitting at bar stools on the opposite side, listening to the girl speak. "I mean, he's got to focus on college, and I'm running the Talon all by myself. We just don't want to continue and it end badly, you know?"

Lana continued on for a good ten minutes; she and Whitney had broken up just after she left the Kent farm on Saturday, and was filling Chloe and Valerie in on the details. It had been a mutual thing, but still, Lana felt the need to talk excessively about it like Whitney had cheated on her or something. Valerie was distracted as hell, and far from interested in Lana's relationship with her friend. That, and with Whitney out of the way, Clark could swoop in and get exactly what he wanted.

When Lana noticed Valerie was less than interested in what she was saying she placed the coffee pot sort of forcefully down on the counter in front of the red head, startling the girl; Valerie had been stirring her coffee this entire time, not taking a sip or bothering to add anything to the strong drink. Chloe looked between the two girls, eyebrows raised, and Valerie sat up quickly.

"I'm sorry, is my personal life too boring for you?" Lana asked, her hands resting on her hips; Valerie wanted to laugh loudly, she really did, but instead she opted for a lower chuckle as she nodded. "Actually yeah, it is."

Lana looked a bit shocked and so did Chloe, though not as much as the former. She nodded, pressing her lips together. "Then please, Valerie, tell us about your oh-so fascinating life," Lana snapped, causing Valerie to feel a bit confused. "Like your impromptu trip to Metropolis last night."

Valerie could feel a ball forming in her throat, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Chloe giving Lana a look; at least she knew that Chloe actually cared. Clearing her throat to speak Valerie nodded, pressing her lips together. "That's right, I ran away to Metropolis last night," she said simply.

"See today marks four months that my parents have been dead—" Lana's eyes widened slightly and she sucked in a breath, realizing the error in her ways. "—and I just didn't feel like sitting in my room crying all day just to have one of the Kent's pry into my business, so I went back to my apartment in Metropolis. I slept for a good twelve hours, cried for two, packed up a few things and came back." Valerie paused to catch her breath. "After unpacking I did my chores as slow as humanly possible and tired not to cry again because frankly, crying is quite tiring, right? After dinner I cried a little more in my room and then a little in the car before I came in here tonight."

It was quiet in the Talon, something it only was when there were no people in it. Lana couldn't help but feel extremely horrible for what she had said, and Chloe just felt uncomfortable; the blonde knew that it had been around four months since the tornados but hadn't put together what this meant for Valerie. Chloe was about to offer Valerie some sympathy but the red head was quickly on her feet, grabbing her bag. "I think I'm going to call it an early night," she nodded before walking out of the Talon, tears in her eyes.

Valerie drove home as the tears spilled, and when she reached the Kent farm she sat in her car for a few minutes to calm herself down. It was near ten and she knew that Martha and Jonathan were most likely asleep or at least in their room. Grabbing her bag she headed in the house and quickly up to her room. She sat on her bed, more tears falling.

Clark sat in his bed reading when he heard Valerie come in, and since the wall they shared was where both of their beds were he could hear a muffled noise from the other side: tears. Clark sat in silence for a few minutes, and when the crying hadn't stopped he got up from his bed and made his way into Valerie's room.

She was a mess of sobs sitting on her bed, and without hesitation he walked over and took her in his arms; in the back of his mind, Clark feared that she'd push him away forcefully for trying to comfort her, but it became evident that Valerie was very upset when she grabbed onto him. He soothed her as best he could, silently, and just let her cry.

It was nearly twenty minutes later when Clark realized that Valerie had fallen asleep in his arms; slowly and carefully he moved her into a laying position and pulled the blankets of her unmade bed on top of her, turning off the light and heading back to his room for sleep.

 **Hi guys!**

 **I know I just posted five like, the other day, but I wrote six and I thought why not post it now? I'm also working on seven right now.**

 **I remember saying that I wanted each chapter to be like an episode, and while I do like that, I'm not going to do those types of chapter's all the time; it's clear that chapters that are like, 2,000-3,000 words come more frequently than the ones that are 9,000 words. So it'll all depend on the nature of the chapter. Ones like 5 and 6 that need to stand alone are going to be shorter, but then there will be ones that will follow an episode format. It all depends on how I write it and whatnot.**

 **Important things from 6:** **  
** **\- Valerie plays the guitar. And she sings. We'll explore that more** **in-depth later on, because that part of Valerie life is very important to her (kind of similar to Clark with Football)  
** **\- This chapter marks exactly 4 months since Valerie's parents died, which is why she's so sad. My poor baby  
\- Lana and Whitney broke up! I loved them together but it's for the drive of the story, and for the whole love triangle that is sort of there. It's not the focus, but clearly it's there**

 **This chapter was very Valerie oriented, which I haven't done since the first chapter, and I missed. I feel like in the last few chapters I've been focusing on getting everyone's POV- especially Clark- which is important for the story, but Valerie's the main character. I wanted to give you guys a bit more insight to how she's feeling and dealing with everything.**

 **ALSO someone messaged me and addressed something: we already have a character that has dealt with loosing her parents (AKA Lana). I wanted to point out that Valerie is not based on Lana, and her approach to it all is very different from Lana. Val isn't wallowing, or letting the death of her parents define her. If anything she's more similar to Elena Gilbert in season 1 of the Vampire Diaries, trying to be more than the girl who lost her parents and wanting to live her life. So that's important.**

 **Lastly,** ** _I'm so excited for next chapter!_** **We will be introduced to a new character who happens to be an actual DC character, but not one that appeared in Smallville. This character and Valerie will have a past, a good one, and I think you guys will like it. If any of you think you know who it is, leave it in the comments and the first person to guess correctly will get a sneak peak!**

 **As always, follow and favorite and comment and all that. Love you guys!**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	8. He's Not my Fiancè (7)

Valerie began to wonder when this apparent heat wave was going to end as October rolled around; it hadn't been lower than eighty degrees since the first week of school, and Valerie was beginning to grow impatient. She loved summer just as much as the next teenage girl, but at this point she was getting over the heat. Feeling sticky and sweaty all the time wasn't something Valerie enjoyed at all, especially living under the same roof as Clark Kent.

Speaking of Clark, he and Valerie had barely spoken since the night that she had cried herself to sleep in his arms, and things were awkward; with Whitney and Lana broken up, Clark found himself spending more time with the girl he had been in love with since he was five, and Valerie spent most of her time hanging out with Chloe in the Torch office. She had tried numerous times to get Valerie to write for the paper, but each time the red head told her blonde friend she just wasn't interested.

And so Chloe had made Valerie an honorary member of the school newspaper; she had full access to the Torch office and everything in it, and the opportunity to write for the paper whenever she pleased. But most of the time, Valerie just edited articles that were submitted to the paper, almost like an assistant editor. It gave Valerie something to do, and helped her to meet lots of Smallville High students in the process.

Sitting in ninth period geometry, Valerie had been braiding and unbraiding her hair since her focus went out the window at the beginning of class. She was too hot to focus, though she tried to dress as to not retain heat; she wore a navy blue off the shoulder crop top with a light blue skirt, a pair of white converse and a maroon colored sun hat. In this heat, all she wanted to do was be on the beach, not sitting in a classroom with Clark's eyes burning into the back of her head.

When the bell rang, however, Valerie jumped slightly; she hadn't even realized the period was over, but thanked God and whomever else responsible that she was able to get out of geometry. Ms. Botwin's voice was like nails on a chalkboard most of the time, and Valerie hated math.

Grabbing her bag Valerie walked to the door and out of the classroom, feeling Clark behind her. She could feel that he was close, and after turning the corner she noticed he had moved next to her. "Hey, Val," he said in an uncomfortable tone, one that was natural when the two actually talked. "Do you think I could get a ride home today?" Valerie's eyebrows furrowed and she turned her head to look at him. "What about your girlfriend?" she asked, and Clark sighed. " _Lana_ is heading straight to the Talon after school." A sigh escaped Valerie's lips and she nodded, about turn into the Torch office. "Meet me by my car at three." Clark nodded before heading to his last period class.

And so Valerie headed into the Torch office, logging into Chloe's computer and pulling up her e-mail; Clark had sent her an article the night before and she had yet to edit it, knowing she'd need a good amount of time. Clark was a talented writer, that was for sure, but his spelling could use some work, and Valerie was sure that he wouldn't know how to properly use commas if his life depended on it. With Chloe home sick, Valerie knew that she needed to get those last few articles edited and put in the layout, so when she got back tomorrow she'd have little work.

That's why when Valerie saw Chloe walk into the Torch office she felt confused; furrowing her eyebrows Valerie stood, brushing off her skirt. "What happened to your fever _?"_ Valerie asked, eyebrows furrowed. Chloe looked way too excited to be sick. "It broke an hour ago," Chloe explained. "I was coming in to get a few files off my computer when I ran into someone in the parking lot; he claims he knows you."

Chloe turned to the door and Valerie's eyebrows furrowed even more, confused as to whom Chloe couldn't ran into; after a second a young man walked into the room, and Valerie's eyes matched Chloe's with excitement. Her smile broke out just as his did. "What, no hug?"

Bruce Wayne stood tall in the doorway, dressed in a pair of khaki's, a dark purple cotton tee shirt and a black blazer. His smile was smug yet genuine at the same time, and his hair longer than Valerie had remembered. Walking across the room the red head wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, hugging him tightly as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Valerie could remember the last time she and Bruce hugged; it was a few days after her parent's funeral, just after Valerie had turned down Bruce's offer to spend the rest of the summer with him in Gotham like she had for years. She could remember rejecting him, telling him that she just needed to be alone, and that he wrapped her in a tight hug. After sharing a sweet kiss he reminded her that if she needed anything, he was just a call away, and would be on a plane in minutes if she were in trouble. After telling her that he loved her, Bruce was gone for the rest of the summer.

The two pulled away when the bell rang, Valerie's smile bright. "What're you doing here?" she asked, shaking her head. Never in her wildest dreams did Valerie _ever_ expect to see Bruce Wayne in Smallville, let alone the office of the Torch. Bruce smiled. "What, a guy can't come see his girlfriend once in a while?"

"Girlfriend?" Valerie, Chloe, and Bruce all turned to the door when they heard a voice, spotting Clark walking into the office with a confused look on her face. Valerie took a small step away from Bruce when she saw Clark and she shook her head. "He's joking, Clark. Don't get your panties in a twist." "Didn't sound like he was joking to me."

The air was uncomfortable, and after a second Valerie rolled her eyes and stood between the two men. "Clark this is Bruce; Bruce this is Clark. I've been staying with is family," Valerie turned her head to give Bruce a look, and the man nodded before offering Clark a hand. Clark hesitated before taking it. "Wait… Bruce Wayne?" he asked, and the other nodded.

"So Bruce, what brings you to Smallville—other than Valerie, obviously," Chloe chimed in, hoping to break the tension in the room. Bruce smiled at Chloe before nodding his head. "While yes, I am here to see Valerie," he smiled at the red head before turning back to the blonde. "I have some business to attend to in Metropolis. Thought it'd be rude to be so close to Valerie and not even stop by and say hello."

Clark's eyes were on Valerie, whose eyes were on Bruce. Clark couldn't recall ever seeing Valerie smile the way she was smiling right now—so bright and genuinely happy. It made Clark happy to see her this way, especially after the rough few months Valerie had had, but to know that the reason she was so happy was because of Bruce Wayne caused Clark's heart strings to tug. Why was this happening? Clark and Lana were on the brink of a relationship, something he had wished for as long as he could remember, so why was he so stuck on this situation with Valerie?

The ringing of a phone brought Clark from his thoughts, and after Bruce answered it and spoke for a few seconds he hung up. "And so adulthood calls," he said, turning to Valerie with a smile on his face. "You have my number, why don't we meet up in Metropolis one night this week for dinner? Catch up." Valerie was about to speak when Clark, against his better judgement, chimed in: "Why don't you come by the farm for dinner?" Valerie and Chloe gave Clark confused looks, and Bruce just nodded. "How's tomorrow?" Clark nodded. "My mom would be happy to have you."

"I'll give you a call tomorrow," Valerie spoke, making Bruce look at her and nodding his head. Valerie smiled and he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "See you then, Vale," he said smugly before nodding a goodbye to Clark and Chloe and heading out. The smile on Valerie's face didn't fall when Bruce left, and Clark rolled his eyes slightly. Chloe walked up to Valerie before speaking, "You think he'd let me interview him for an article?" Valerie turned to her, nodding. "An opportunity to hear himself talk? Of course." The two laughed.

"We should probably go," Clark said and Valerie nodded, grabbing her bag before turning to Chloe. "I edited the two articles I got last night and put them in the drop box along with the photo's that Ben emailed me." Chloe nodded before sitting at her computer, and Clark and Valerie made their way to her car in silence.

As Valerie drove, Clark tried to think of what to say; it was clearly an awkward time for both of them, but he felt like he needed to say something. So he said the first thing that came to mind: "You and Bruce Wayne, huh? Never would've put you two together." Valerie rolled her eyes, pulling up to a stop sign before looking both ways and continuing to the Kent farm. "We're not together."

"But you seem pretty close," Clark added, eyebrows raised. Valerie sighed. "Our dads were roommates in college; I've known him practically my whole life," she explained, a small smile on her face. "I used to spend summers in Gotham, and the second I got there Bruce would declare that we were engaged to be married, and that I had to agree because he was older and he made the rules. So I'd compile for my two month stay, but on my last day in Gotham I'd break it off saying that we weren't ready. He'd accept, only to insist on the engagement following summer."

Clark probably would've found the story sweet if he weren't extremely jealous, though he tried his best to ignore that part of him and remind himself that he had Lana. "I guess he thinks those rules still apply," Clark said, and Valerie shrugged. "Bruce has always been in love with me, but I don't know. I just don't see it going anywhere." At the red light she looked at Clark. "I mean, you and Lana are practically made for each other, it makes sense that you'd be willing to risk your friendship." Clark nodded uncomfortably. "Bruce and I are just so different, I don't know. At this point we're all each other has, and I don't want to lose him."

Their eyes met and Clark nodded, the room practically freezing; it wasn't until the person behind them honked that the two were broken from their trance, Valerie looking back to the road and pressing on the gas. The rest of the car ride home was silent but less uncomfortable than before. Pulling into the Kent farm the two teenagers got out of the car and headed inside, meeting Martha in the kitchen; she hung up the phone before smiling at the kids.

"How was school?" she asked as Clark gave her a kiss on the cheek and Valerie headed over to the fridge, grabbing the bottle of iced tea and pouring two cups: one for herself and once for Clark. "Hot and boring," Valerie said before taking a sip of the drink, the feeling of the coldness going down her throat feeling especially nice on such a hot day.

Martha laughed before grabbing hold of her bag. "I'm heading to the grocery store, you kids want anything?" she asked as Clark downed his iced tea and poured the rest of it into his cup. "More iced tea," he said and Valerie smiled, swallowing the iced tea in her mouth before nodding. "Do you think you could make that awesome lemon chicken for dinner tomorrow night?" she asked and Martha nodded. "Of course, why the special request?"

"A friend of mine is in town and Clark invited him for dinner tomorrow night," Valerie said simply before Clark chimed in: "Her friend who happens to be none other than Bruce Wayne." As Clark said his name Jonathan walked in, wiping his hands on his jeans. "What about Bruce Wayne?" "Him and Valerie are engaged." Clark threw her a smirk and in return, Valerie gave him a very unamused look.

Martha and Jonathan looked at each other before Valerie and she shook her head. "Clark are you _asking_ for an ass-whooping?" she asked, causing Clark to laugh. "Because I will throw you to Mars without hesitation." Martha smiled; she was happy to see Clark and Valerie getting along again. She never knew what happened between the two that day in the beginning of September, but it was nice to see that they had moved past it. "Would one of you like to fill us in on what's going on?" Jonathan asked and Valerie nodded. "Clark was just kidding about my engagement," she responded. "But my friend Bruce is in town and Clark invited him for dinner tomorrow night."

"And this friend just happens to be nineteen year old millionaire Bruce Wayne?" Jonathan asked suspiciously and Valerie nodded. "His dad and mine were roommates at GU; I'm pretty sure there are pictures of you and Thomas at my parents wedding." Jonathan nodded. "I remember Thomas Wayne."

Whenever Valerie talked to Jonathan, she always felt uncomfortable and got the same vibe from him; she always chalked it up to him taking on the blame of her parent's death, considering they were coming to Smallville at the time of the tornado. But Valerie didn't blame Jonathan Kent, and she wished the uncomfortableness would just end. There was so much that he could tell her about her parents—her father in particular—and she just wanted to break the ice.

"Well where is Bruce staying?" Martha asked after a second, and Valerie turned her attention to the woman. "He didn't say; probably at some fancy hotel in Metropolis." Valerie was about to continue when her phone rang. "Oh, it's Chloe." Answering the phone the teenager walked off towards the barn. "Hey, Chlo, did you see Harry's email?—"

 **XXX**

There were only two fashion choices Valerie hated to have to make: deciding to wear pants—which she only did when absolutely necessary, because she preferred to wear skirts—and putting her hair on a ponytail. With the long, thick mane that came out of her head it was easy for her to get headaches from wearing a ponytail for too long, and though she could style it right, she always felt like she had a big head when her hair was up. When her hair was down, however, Valerie felt much more confident.

But Valerie picked clothes over hair any day of the week, and when she decided to wear a long sleeve, grey shirt with her yellow and black plaid skirt to school today, it was clear that after one class she had to put her hair up. The heat wave was beginning to drag, and for the first real time since moving to Smallville, she contemplated going to Gotham; at least there she'd get some nice fall weather, instead of this eighty-two degree bull _shit._

But nothing, not even a lousy ponytail, could destroy Valerie's mood on that hot and sweaty Thursday: she had gotten a 97 on her Spanish test; a kid in her history class had nominated her to run for class president; she hadn't seen Lana Lang once that day; and Bruce was on his way to the Kent farm for dinner.

Of course Valerie had wanted to help prepare, but Martha insisted on doing everything herself on account of knowing Valerie was nervous enough. She couldn't pinpoint the reason for her nerves, but part of it was the idea of merging her old life with her new one. It was like a chemical reaction, one that Valerie was unsure if it would work out like it should or if it would blow up in her face. Would she be able to have the best of both worlds? She didn't know, but she sure as hell wanted to.

Bruce would be here any minute, and Valerie stood in the bathroom fixing the strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail with some hairspray; just as she sprayed down a section Clark walked in, caught in a cloud of hairspray, and coughing. Valerie laughed a little before putting the bottle down and pushing back the stray pieces with no luck. "Why are you stressing?" he asked. She shook her head. "I'm not stressing," Valerie insisted, picking up the bottle of hairspray once again.

Clark sped over and took the bottle from her hands, holding it about her head; she pouted. "Not fair, you're a giant," she said and he shook his head. "Your hair looks better without all of this crap in it: more natural." This caused Valerie to stop, a light blush appearing on her pale cheeks as she rolled her eyes. She turned back to the mirror before grabbing her make-up and beginning to touch up her face.

Clark was about to speak again when the doorbell rang, and Valerie stood straight. "I'll get it!" she called from upstairs, using her speed to get to the door in a second; she straightened her skirt pushed her bangs away from her face slightly before opening the door, a smile on her face. The smile, however, dropped instantly when the person behind the door wasn't Bruce Wayne: it was Lana Lang.

Clark walked down the stairs quickly but without his super speed, stopping behind Valerie a few feet away; she turned to him, eyebrows raised. "Did I forget to tell you that I invited Lana?" Clark said in a nervous tone, Valerie's eyes widened. She looked over to the table and noticed that it was set for six, not five, and she turned back to Lana. The two didn't really get along anymore, and Valerie had done her best to avoid the girl as much as possible.

 _It's not a big deal,_ Valerie told herself before forcing a smile back on her face. "You did, Clark, but that's okay. Come in Lana," Valerie said as calmly as she could, the other girl walking over to Clark and pressing a kiss to his lips; both he and Valerie were surprised by the gesture, and Clark pulled away. Valerie smirked. "So what, are you two a couple now or…?"

"Actually we are," Lana turned to look at Valerie, a confident look on her face. "Since when?" Clark asked, and Lana's head whipped around to look at him; Valerie couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Lana's plan had backfired on her. "Since right now." Before anyone could respond Lana was walking into the kitchen and starting up a conversation with Martha.

Clark looked to Valerie who was still laughing; the girl pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to silence it but it was no use. Clark walked over to her with an unamused look on his face, so Valerie tried to calm herself. "Seems your _girlfriend_ isn't too fond of me," she said simply. "But that's okay, Farmboy. I promise my feelings aren't hurt." By the end of her sentence Valerie was once again laughing, and Clark couldn't help but smile. "Stop that," he insisted but Valerie couldn't.

Listening to Valerie's laugh made Clark laugh as well, and the two giggling idiots didn't even hear the knock on the door. It wasn't until a second later when it opened that they stopped and looked, Valerie's smile never faltering, only Clark's. "Bruce, hi," Valerie said sweetly, moving out of the way so he could come in. Bruce pressed a kiss to Valerie's cheek before turning to Clark; the two shook hands and exchanged hello's before leading Bruce into the house.

"Look who's finally arrived?" Valerie said, not even hesitating to interrupt Martha and Lana's conversation; the two looked over to the three entering the kitchen just as Jonathan walked in the house, wiping his hands on the rag in his hand. "Bruce those are Clark's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kent, and his girlfriend Lana, who was apparently invited," Valerie introduced in a sweet voice. Lana rolled her eyes.

"It's so nice to meet you Bruce, Valerie has told us so much about you," Martha said as she shook Bruce's hand, his charming smile prominent. As he moved to shake hands with Jonathan Bruce spoke up: "Well it's nice to meet the people who've taken in my little Vale." Valerie blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Dinner went well; the food was delicious, as per usual, and the whole thing was mostly Bruce and Valerie sharing stories of times in Gotham City or overseas together, laughter filling the room. There was a subtle jab at Lana here and there, but for the most part things went swimmingly; for everyone but Clark. He could feel his jealousy building up, and the more he pushed it away, the stronger it grew.

"Everything was delicious, Mrs. Kent," Bruce said when it was clear that everyone was finished with dinner. "Thank you, Bruce," she said. Just as she was about to stand to begin cleaning up Valerie stood, shaking her head. "Sit, Martha. I'll clean up." She took hold of her own plate as well as Jonathan's and Bruce's before the latter stood as well. "I'll help." After that, everyone dispersed: Lana said good night and headed home (much to Valerie's joy); Clark went up into his room; and Jonathan and Martha headed to bed.

Valerie and Bruce talked and laughed as they cleaned up, memories of them doing the same in his apartment in Gotham flooding both of their minds. Those times were so simple, so easy; Valerie knew that she could pick up her phone and call her parents if she ever needed them, and she lived a mostly carefree life. But now things were so different.

Once done Valerie hopped up onto the counter, taking a sip of her glass of milk as Bruce walked over and placed his hands on either side of her legs. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, Vale," Bruce said in a serious tone, and Valerie's smile fell slightly. She put her glass down and nodded her head, ready to listen. "I'm not just here on business." Her eyebrows raised, but she said nothing, knowing that Bruce would continue. "I'm here to take you home."

Instantly her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and suddenly Valerie felt slightly uncomfortable. "What do you mean?" she asked, shaking her head. Bruce sighed. "Valerie, you and I both know that the last place in this world that you belong is on a farm," he laughed, as if this were some sort of joke. Pulling away from the counter her began to slightly pace in front of Valerie, who crossed her right leg over her left and her arms over her chest. "I mean yeah, for a month or so sure, it's a fun adventure, but you're a city girl, not a farm maid." Valerie shook her head before hopping off the counter.

"Bruce I like it here," she insisted, pressing her lips together. He shook his head. "No, you don't." He paused. "I mean common Valerie, what do you have in common with these people?" She didn't know how to answer at first, and Bruce was satisfied. "It's cute that you're trying, but we both know that you'd rather be back in your apartment in Metropolis, attending Bryce with your friends."

An internal battle began in Valerie's head; less than two months ago she would've done anything to not move to Smallville. The idea of having to leave Metropolis angered her to no end, and leaving behind her friends broke her heart. After her parents died she didn't want to deal with anymore change, and moving to Smallville was like the icing on the 180 cake.

But since moving onto the Kent farm Valerie began to realize that Smallville wasn't so bad; sure, she never had as many chores back home as she did here, and she didn't think she ever sweat so much, but she had grown to love the small town. The people here were great—with the exception of a few—and she had grown particularly close to Martha, Chloe, and even Clark.

Valerie shook her head once more. "I'm sorry Bruce, but I can't come with you," she said simply. The look on Bruce's face was one that Valerie was unfamiliar with; he looked angry and disappointed at the same time, and the look made Valerie feel two feet tall. But she stood her ground, masking her confusion and hurt with confidence.

"But you will," he said, grabbing his jacket. "In due time." Slipping the suit jacket onto his body Bruce straightened himself out before looking to Valerie. "Tell Mr. and Mrs. Kent I said thank you." Before he walked out Bruce placed a kiss to Valerie's temple, letting himself out.

Valerie stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, trying to process what just happened with Bruce; eventually she decided to make her way up to her room to change and get ready for bed. After changing she went to the bathroom and washed her face. When she returned from the bathroom Clark was in her room, looking at the photos on her wall. "Is that you?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a four year old with the curliest red hair ever and green paint all over her face and arms. Valerie laughed, crossing her arms over her chest and walking over to him. "I was never a good painter," She nodded, looking at Clark with a forced smile.

"I heard your conversation with Bruce," Clark said nonchalantly and Valerie's face fell as she looked at him. Normally she would've yelled at him about privacy or whatever, but she wasn't in the mood. She was tired, and confused and annoyed about what Bruce had said. A sigh escaped her lips and she moved to sit down on the bed, Clark turning to look at her.

"Look, Valerie, if you want to move back home we won't be offended," he said, and Valerie moved her head from where it rested in her hands. Her eyebrows were furrowed. "I mean, if that's what makes you happy, I'm sure my parents would be okay with it. Besides, you'll get a better education in a city school, be able to see your friends and—"

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Farmboy," Valerie said simply, shaking her head. "Do I miss Metropolis? Yeah. Do I miss my friends? All the time." She paused. "But believe it or not I actually like it out here, and I'd miss your cute dimples too much if I left."

Clark smiled at her and she smiled back, genuinely, before sighing. "If you told me in August I'd be living in Smallville and I _liked_ it, I would've called you crazy," she laughed as Clark sat down next to her, his forearms resting on his thighs. "But this place has really grown on me. I think it's—" she paused, looking at Clark with genuine eyes. "—I think it's the fact there here, I'm not alone."

The tension between Valerie and Clark was thick, and it wasn't until she stopped talking that the red head realized how close the pair was; their noses were nearly touching, and though her brain told her to move away, Valerie stayed put. Sure, Clark and Lana were dating, but she didn't even know if it was official. Clearly he hadn't asked her out, she just threw it upon him in spite of Valerie, so that meant that he was free game. That is, if Clark _wanted_ to kiss her.

Clark's eyes looked from Valerie's to her lips and back again, all thoughts of Lana escaping his mind; he found it ironic that after years of pining over Lana Lang he finally had her in the palm of his hand, and yet he couldn't get Valerie out of his head. Valerie Pace: the girl he only knew from Christmas cards that had moved in less than two months ago and turned his world upside down. Valerie was everything that Lana _wasn't,_ and Clark didn't mind that. He could be himself around her, and his attraction to her was too hard to deny.

"Are you going to kiss me?" Valerie said barely above a whisper, causing Clark's eyes to lock with hers once again; Clark could see the fire in her eyes and he smiled, pressing her lips together. "Well not it won't be a surprise." Valerie smirked. "I promise, I'll act surpri—" Before she could finish her sentence Clark pressed his lips to hers, catching her off guard.

The kiss resembled their last one: genuine but passionate and a bit frantic. His arms wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck, their bodies moving closer together. Wearing just a pair of short-shorts and a tee shirt, Valerie left a lot of room for Clark's hands to roam; her hands moved down his chest and under his shirt, feeling his strong and hot stomach and chest.

Their make out lasted for some time before his hands reached under her tee shirt and pulling it off, asking for permission only after the fact; she did the same to his shirt. Their foreheads pressed together and they looked into each other's eyes, clad in only shorts (and Valerie in her bra), and breathing heavily. Their eyes seemed to speak because their mouths couldn't, and when Clark's eyes flicked down to her body and back Valerie nodded instantly.

A smile appeared on Clark's face and he pressed his lips back to hers, their bodies falling back onto the bed.

 **HI GUYS!**

 **I don't know why but I am popping out chapter's like it's nobody's business this week, it's crazy. Anyway here's chapter seven, I hope you all enjoy. I wrote and rewrote this chapter sooo many times because I couldn't get so many of the scene's right, but I finally got it.**

 **Important notes:  
\- Valerie's friend is none other than ****_Bruce Wayne,_** **and clearly their little relationship jokes are far from funny to him; his feelings seem to be real and deep. So real, in fact, that he wants her to move back to Metropolis with him. He's just looking out for her in his own way, but how will that pan out? This is not the last we've seen of Mr. Wayne, I promise.  
\- Clark and Lana are together? Not really? She threw that out there to try and get Val to back off, but clearly that didn't work.  
\- Valerie ****_likes_** **Smallville, and she doesn't want to leave. This is important, especially as we establish her more in the school. Also, she's running for class president! Remember when Clark tried that? Hopefully she'll have more luck.  
\- The chapter ends with Clark and Valerie, shirtless, falling back on her bed. I think you guys can figure out how that ends, right?**

 **So yeah. I know I've been kind of focused on the personal part of the story, but I promise we'll get more of the action I promised as well as some insight into the origin of Val and Clark. I plan on changing that storyline, but keeping Dr. Swann and all of that. I just want those scenes to happen sooner than later, and if I keep up with the caves and all that, we'd have like 10 more chapters before we got to the fun stuff, and that's what I want to do soon.**

 **So yeah, that's it. You know the drill. Lots of love.**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	9. Playing Hooky (8)

Valerie was comfortable; it had been nearly an hour since she had woken up, around 6:30, and laying in her bed in Clark's arms she just didn't want to get up. Sure, she was usually out of bed at six on school days, but she was willing to risk running a little late if it meant staying in this position. She had turned her alarm off when she had woken at 5:30 in an effort to preserve their comfort, and not to wake Clark up. But it was getting late, and though Valerie could've laid in bed with Clark all day, she knew that wasn't realistic. Besides, it was Friday; in only a few hours they'd be free from school for the next three days—having Monday off from school—and they could lay in bed then.

A sigh escaped Valerie's lips as she turned onto her side and looked at Clark, who looked so peaceful while asleep. She frowned slightly when she decided to wake him, but put her smile back on in an effort to coax him awake easily. Her fingers ran through his hair, her face close to his. "Clark," she said in a quiet voice, continuing to run her fingers through his soft hair. He stirred slightly, which caused her smile to widen. "Clark we've got to get up. We're going to be late."

She could hear a small groan escaping Clark's lips and she smirked, knowing that he was awake but choosing not to get up. "Can't we just skip school?" he asked and Valerie laughed. "Get up," she said through laughter, deciding it was time for herself to get up as well; she was about to get out of bed when Clark rolled on top of her, pinning her arms down on the bed and scanned her body; Valerie had pulled Clark's blue tee shirt on last night before going to bed, him doing the same with his boxers, and he smirked.

"That's my shirt," he said simply, and Valerie smirked. "And it's a lovely color on you, Mr. Kent; you should wear it more often." Clark's smile brightened as he leaned down and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to Valerie's lips. She smiled into the kiss, but the two pulled away when they heard Martha call their named. Eyes widening, they could hear her beginning to go up the stairs; in an instant Clark super-sped back into his room, leaving Valerie all on her own.

As she got up from her bed Valerie's bare feet touched the hardwood floor, and for the first time since she moved to Smallville, the floor was cold. A smile appeared on her face and she turned on the radio, going over to open the window and feeling the breeze fly into her room. "It's a beautiful Friday morning Lowell County with a high of seventy-two, looks like we've finally broken that heat wave…" Valerie's smile widened even more as she headed into her closet and grabbed her clothes for the day: a red, white, and blue striped long sleeve; a denim overall skirt; and a beige sun hat.

After quickly going her thing in the bathroom Valerie got dressed with just a few minutes to spare; heading downstairs with her backpack she was surprised to find the house empty. Noticing a note on the counter she grabbed it, realizing it was from Clark, and read it: _"Had to run to school early, sorry I couldn't wait. Could you bring me a thing of juice? Thanks Vale :)"_ A sigh escaped her lips and Valerie quickly poured some apple juice into a water bottle and poured some coffee into her thermos.

She locked up and got in her car, driving to school. Upon entering the parking lot Valerie realized that there weren't a lot of cars, which was weird considering it was nearly time for school. She brushed it off before getting out of her car and heading inside. The halls were scarce, and Valerie wondered what the hell was going on. After exchanging her books she held the two thermoses in her right hand and closed the door, beginning to her art room.

Since her art class was small everyone was there except for her teacher. They continued work on their current project all period before homeroom started, where they listened to announcements and did the pledge. No one else seemed to notice the large amount of students missing from the school, but then again it was first period. They could still show up.

Once homeroom was over Valerie walked through the school to her biology room, which was on the other side of the building. When she was pulled into the Torch office Valerie's eyes widened, ready to fight back, but soon realized that it was Clark who pulled her inside. She looked confused, though smiled. "Uh, hi," she said simply, offering him his juice. "We didn't have any orange juice so I gave you the rest of the apple and—" She was cut off by his lips pressing to hers, taking her off guard. She kissed him back a second before pulling away.

"Clark we have class," she whispered, biting down on her lip and looking up into his eyes. He smirked. "There are four kids in our biology class right now," he said simply. "Everyone's got that stomach bug that Chloe was home with the other day, and now half the school is out. Twenty-eight teachers, including Mrs. Mueller." "So what're we doing, cutting class?" Valerie raised her eyebrows at him. He shook his head.

"Mr. Marshall's our sub," Clark paused to press a kiss under Valerie's jaw, continuing a second to her neck. "—and I told her we were just going to work on some stuff in the Torch office." "And is that the actual plan: to do Torch stuff?" Valerie was definitely one for having fun, but this was a new school and she wasn't looking to get in trouble. Clark smirked and pulled away. "I actually had an idea, though," Clark said, and Valerie nodded. "Why don't we spend the day at Crater Lake?" Valerie looked at him confused, and Clark sighed. "My dad said he'd sigh us out if there was no one in school, and clearly no one's here. Plus it's such a nice day. Why waste it stuck in school when we're doing nothing?"

It wasn't long before Clark and Valerie were in the nurse, faking sick so that Jonathan would come pick them up. Once signed out the three walked down the hall towards the front doors, the oldest turning to them with a stern look on his face. "Be back by seven, don't get into any trouble and if your mother asks—" "—you sent Valerie and I to get something in the city for you." Jonathan smiled and nodded before handing Clark and Valerie bags and heading out to his car.

Valerie and Clark quickly changed into their bathing suits before heading to Valerie's car and pulling out of the school parking lot. The pair listened to Avril Lavigne's new album, which Valerie had purchased just before moving to Smallville, before pulling up to the lake and getting out with their bags. Other than the music the car ride itself was silent, not that either party minded. As they made their way onto the sand Valerie and Clark stood side by side, laying their towels out next to one another before turning to look at each other.

A challenging look appeared on Valerie's features and she raised her eyebrows at him. "I like your shirt," she said simply as Clark looked to the blue tee shirt he had on before back to her. "I wore it just for you." Valerie smirked and within seconds Clark pulled his shirt off, leaving him in just his red bathing suit bottoms. "Your turn," he said simply.

Valerie shrugged before slipping the straps of her overalls off of her shoulders and sliding the skirt off: her bottoms were a pink and white floral pattern, which made Clark wonder what the top looked like. Valerie could see the curious look on his face and she tugged her shirt off, watching as Clark's face turned to a nervous one at the sight of her black halter bathing suit top. Her smirk widened and using her super speed she was in front of him. "Race you to the water." Before he could even react she was super speeding from where she stood to the dock and diving off, landing expertly in the water.

It took Clark a second to gather his bearings, but soon he was following Valerie's path into the water at a similar speed; just as she resurfaced he splashed into the water, sending water right at her face and causing her to laugh. He came up for air and she glared at him. "You're going to get it, Farmboy," she threatened before splashing him with strength. Clark shook the water out of his hair before reciprocating, causing a full on splash war.

The rest of the day continued on as so: Clark and Valerie spent hours in the water, swimming and lounging and splashing and racing. Around noon Clark raced into town and got them hamburgers from the local diner and the two feasted on the dock in pretzel positions, talking about the most abstract and random things they could think of. Truth was they were just comfortable around one another, especially in the private area of Crater Lake.

And then again after lunch they were back in the water until the sun threatened to set, and they decided laying out in the sun to dry off would be better than getting in the car soaking wet. For a good half hour they laid in silence, allowing their bodies and some of their swim suits to dry. As it neared 6:30 Clark sat up from his laying position and leaned on his left arm, gazing at Valerie before beginning to stroke her arm. "Told you my idea was a good one," he said quietly which caused her to laugh, opening her eyes. "I never doubted you, Clark."

The genuine look in her eyes made Clark's head fuzzy, his smile sweet and completely blissful; Valerie enjoyed seeing this look on Clark's face as opposed to the worried one he constantly wore. She could tell that he was thinking about something though, because even though he looked happy, he seemed distracted. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly as he looked down at her arm, continuing to stroke the skin before speaking: "Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to not be so… different?" He looked up at her.

Valerie looked at him slightly confused before nodding. "Of course I have," she answered simply. "Who wouldn't? But so what?" Clark gave her a confused look, almost asking her to continue without words. Quickly Valerie rolled onto her stomach and looked at Clark, ready to speak again. "I mean, it doesn't really matter right? We're never going to be normal, so why waste time daydreaming about it?" Clark listened before saying, "It'd be nice to not be so weird."

"I don't see it that way," Valerie shook her head, licking her lips. Now Clark was intrigued. "Why would you want to be normal? That's so… boring," she paused. "Plus, if we hadn't fallen out of the sky, we wouldn't have been adopted by our parents and we probably wouldn't know any of our friends. Or each other."

That's when Clark shook his head and it was Valerie's turn to be confused. "You and I come from the same place," he said simply. "I have complete and utter faith that we'd meet in any life." Valerie couldn't help but blush a little before shaking her head. "Still," she said. "I'd rather be secretly extraordinary than completely boring."

Before she could continue Clark leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her lips, causing her to react to the lightness exactly the same as him. The kiss didn't deepen and they both pulled away, smiling. "We should probably head back," He whispered. "Before my mom gets suspicious on why we've been in Metropolis all day."

Valerie laughed before nodding and Clark stood up, offering Valerie his hand; she accepted it and stood with him, gathering her towel and stuffing it in her bag before grabbing Clark's blue shirt and pulling it on along with her skirt. Clark shook his head but didn't protest, shirtlessly heading to the car.

It was once again a quiet ride, but Clark and Valerie both had smiles on their faces that were hard to miss. Valerie's hands held the steering wheel a little tighter than usual in an attempt to gain some composure and not smile like a little school girl, but it was useless; every time Clark looked over at her with his goofy smile, she just wanted to giggle and smile and pull over the car and kiss him. This was so unlike her—she had never been one to be over affectionate or stereotypical—but Clark brought out this side of her. And she didn't mind it.

But eventually the two made it home in once piece. After getting out with her bag Valerie locked the door and turned to head into the house; Clark was right behind her, however, and she bumped into his chest. A laugh escaped her lips and she looked up at him, pressing a kiss to his lips before brushing past him to the house. Clark followed and fished the mail out of the mailbox while Valerie fiddled with her keys.

"You got a letter from MetU. Again," Clark said and handed the piece of mail to Valerie. She had been receiving letters from the university since her freshmen year about committing early, and though it was a choice, she definitely wanted to keep her options open. "Can they stop bugging me?" she laughed, tucking the letter under her arm and unlocking the door. "I'm a sophomore in high school, I have time." Clark laughed too as they headed into the kitchen, hoping to avoid Martha and Jonathan and change before dinner.

But when the two reached the doorway between the living room and the kitchen they stopped at the sight of three teenage girls talking to Martha, alongside Bruce. When they heard the footsteps they all turned, smiles appearing on their faces. Clark looked confused, and before he could express that he turned to Valerie and felt even more confused; she seemed happy to see these people. Like she knew them.

The girls were named Erin, Mollie, and Gabriela, all three sophomores at Bryce Academy in Metropolis. Erin and Mollie were twins, with long hair and bright green eyes. Erin's hair was platinum blonde while Mollie's was more dirty, both extremely Irish looking, with freckles adorning their faces, signifying that they were first generation Irish-American. Their father, Sean Looney, had come to America with his wife Cara just months before their twins were born.

Gabriella Santos stuck out like a sore thumb, standing between Erin and Mollie, with her shoulder length black hair and naturally tanned skin. Her pearly white smile was bright as she looked at Valerie.

"What… the hell…" Valerie didn't even know what to say, and the three girls laughed. "Hello to you too Vale," Gabriela said, her slight Spanish accent showing through as she spoke. Clark was still confused as Valerie walked further into the room, shaking her head. "What're you guys doing here?" she asked.

"You really think we'd miss your birthday?" Erin asked in an obvious voice, and Valerie paused; truth be told she had completely forgotten about her sixteenth birthday, which was the next day. "Even with you out in the middle of who knows where the entire school is buzzing about what is predicted to be the biggest party of the year."

Valerie shook her head instantly, remembering why she had put her birthday out of her head for the last few months. "Guys, the party was cancelled," Valerie said, and the three girls looked at her confused. "I took the deposit back on the place back in August when my emergency funds ran out, and then I sold my dress like two weeks ago. My dad's accounts are still frozen."

A defeated look appeared on Erin, Mollie, and Gabriela's faces; Valerie had been planning this party with them for over a year, and it was supposed to be one of the best nights of her life. But when push came to shove, she needed the money more than she needed the party, even though she really wanted it.

Clark listened to the girls interact, and he was able to see that the four of them were very close, maybe even like sisters; Clark remembered a conversation they had the night before about siblings, and while he didn't have any real ones either, he figured Chloe and Pete were the closest thing. These girls could've been Valerie's version of Chloe and Pete.

Out of the corner of his eyes Clark could see Bruce stepping up, and knew he was about to swoop in and save the day. _Not today,_ he thought and took a step forward, hands resting on Valerie's shoulders and causing her to jump; she had completely forgotten that Clark was there, but was happy for his touch. "Why don't you have your party in the barn?" he suggested before Bruce could speak, the other giving him a look.

Valerie turned to him and shook her head, the three girls behind her doing the same; Valerie's, however, was out of sympathy. Their head shakes were a big fat _no_ in Clark's book, but he ignored them. "Clark I can't ask you—or your parents—to throw a sweet sixteen in your barn," she laughed. "Plus I don't know how well the Masquerade theme will go with the piles of hey," Mollie added.

Again Bruce was going to speak, but Clark refused to be beaten. "We can make it work, Val," he said. "Seriously. And don't try and play it off like it's not a big deal, because I know it is. I heard you on the phone selling your dress and you sounded so heartbroken." It was true; Valerie had been on the verge of tears when she sold her beautiful gold flapper dress. It was unique, and shiny, and all around perfect.

"We could decorate the barn," Martha spoke up, causing the girls to turn to her. "Clark's got a speaker system for music, and I'm sure food won't be a problem." "What about getting everyone invited?" Mollie asked, and Martha gave her a look. "Well seeing as you girls are already here, you can make all the calls tomorrow during the day," she smirked slightly. Clark smiled at his mom.

"And what about Valerie's dress?" Erin asked; now it was Bruce's turn to speak up. "I'll take her into Metropolis tomorrow to get a dress; maybe your blonde friend can tag along and get that interview in?" Valerie couldn't help but smile, the idea of her party coming together making her happier than she could explain. Martha smiled at her before saying, "So this parties a go?" Valerie nodded.

Erin, Mollie and Gabriela all squealed in excitement, and without even thinking Valerie joined in; Clark had never seen her so excited before, but at the same time she seemed different. Maybe he just hadn't experienced this side of her yet, but still, something felt off. He brushed it off though when Martha spoke again. "Valerie why don't you show the girls to your room and let them borrow some clothes?" Nodding, the four headed upstairs, leaving Clark, his mother, and Bruce in the kitchen.

The girls got ready for bed and talked and laughed and fell back into their old routine. Even though she had only been living with the Kent's for a two months Valerie felt like she had missed a lot. Mollie was in the middle of telling a story about this girl, Jenna, in her English class that was hooking up with Conner, a senior, who had a girlfriend. Even though they fell back into old habits Valerie found herself slightly less interested than she would have been, but she put that up to being tired.

Erin decided to cut in, laughs erupting from her stomach as she spoke: "So at Max's party I walked in on them hooking up in the closet and I froze solid; they totally would've noticed me if Jordy hadn't—." And silence. The unspoken rule had been broken: never mention Jordan Bellington.

Valerie could vividly remember the last conversation she and Jordy had; it hadn't been a fight, there hadn't been crying or slamming doors, it had just been Jordy telling Valerie that she 'just couldn't see her right now'. It had been a week after her parent's funeral, and when Jordy had nearly been hit by an oncoming car late one night on their way home from a friend's house, Valerie didn't hesitate to use her powers to save her. She couldn't lose Jordy too; if Valerie had to pick a best friend it would be her, and losing her was not an option. She couldn't go through that pain again.

Jordy had been shocked and confused, and after saying she'd explain when she got home the two walked back to Valerie's apartment in silence. That's when Valerie explained _everything;_ she told Jordy about how she landed on Earth in a spaceship the day of the meteor shower, and how she had superhuman abilities that she couldn't explain. At first she said nothing, but then Jordy said that she couldn't be around Valerie for now, and left. That was the last time Valerie saw her best friend.

And when that happened, Erin, Mollie, and Gabriela had told both girls they weren't picking sides—which they accepted—and promised never to mention the other again. It just made hanging out less awkward and easier for everyone, but in slipping into old habits, Erin had forgotten. The silence in the room was thick and awkward, and Valerie let out a sigh.

"I'm guessing Jordy still doesn't want anything to do with me?" Valerie asked, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands. Erin sighed. "What ever happened between you two?" she asked, and instantly her sister wacked her on the arm. Valerie shook her head; she never did tell her friends, and neither had Jordy. Even though she didn't want to be friends with Valerie anymore, she had promise to keep her secret.

Again the room was quiet, and after a second Valerie spoke up: "I'm going to go say goodnight to Clark." Getting up from her spot on the bed Valerie was nearly out the door when Gabriela stopped her. "What's going on with you and that farm boy?" she asked. "You two seemed very close before."

A blush appeared on Valerie's face and she smiled, looking up at her friends. "I don't know," she said truthfully. "He just makes me really happy, that's all." Before the other girls could respond Valerie was out of the room and down the hall. Knocking on Clark's door she heard nothing and let herself in, noticing he wasn't there; that's when she saw the light on in the loft, and sped out there.

She walked at normal speed up the stairs, arms crossed over her chest; it was warm in her bedroom with the three extra bodies, so a pair of shorts and a long sleeve had been appropriate. But the temperature outside had dropped down to the fifties, and she was cold. When she reached the top level Valerie could see Clark looking into his telescope. She smiled weakly, watching him as she tried to bring herself to walk over. He hadn't noticed her, and after a few seconds she walked over. "You know—," she cut off when he turned to her, and she stepped next to him. "My dad gave me the same telescope for my birthday when I was nine." She paused. "It had been my grandfathers."

Clark smiled at Valerie. "Something tells me our dads are more alike than we'd like to think," he laughed a little before his smile faded at the look on her face; Valerie turned to look outside, up at the stars, an innocent look on her face. "After my parents died I used to go on the roof of my building and watch the stars when I couldn't sleep."

Clark could hear the distance in her voice, but he didn't try to interfere in her stream of consciousness. "Sometimes I'd lay out on a blanket and just stare up, not really doing much, and others I'd use the telescope. I'd stay out there for hours until the sun rose or my grandmother woke up to check up on me and found I wasn't in bed." Her lips curled into a small smile.

"Do you miss them?" he asked and instantly Valerie nodded. _Of course she misses them, dipshit,_ Clark thought to himself, mentally face-palming. "When my mom's mom died she used to tell my some bullshit about the ones you love turning into stars after they passed," she explained. "I never believed it, because seriously, that's so unrealistic." Valerie laughed. "But ever since last May, there have been these two stars—." Valerie pointed towards the right and upward. "—that seem brighter than normal. It's like they _want_ to catch my eye, so that I look at them." Clark looked at her, and Valerie did the same. "So maybe my mom was shitting with me, but every time I see those stars, I think of my parents."

Valerie's voice had deteriorated as she spoke, and when she finished Clark wrapped his arms around her waist, hers going around his neck. They hugged tightly, and Clark pressed a kiss to her temple as she said, "Thank you," in a quiet tone. After a few seconds they pulled away and Clark pecked her lips. Valerie smiled before pulling away a little, just enough so she could talk.

"And thank you for offering up your barn," she whispered. Clark smiled back before shaking his head. "No, I'm serious Clark. I was honestly just going to forget about my birthday this year, but now I have a reason not to. So thank you." Clark's smile grew proud. "Well, you're welcome," he said and Valerie rolled her eyes. She was about to speak when Clark pressed another kiss to her lips, this one deeper and more passionate. It continued for a few seconds and they pulled away out of breath, Clark's eyes looking behind her. Valerie felt slightly confused.

"Happy Birthday, Valerie," he whispered and her head whipped around, eyes landing on the clock that read _12:01_ in red text. Valerie smiled, still looking at the clock, as Clark pressed a kiss to the back of her head, holding her tightly.

 **Hey guys!**

 **Sorry for the whole** ** _long time no post-_** **last week was so busy, with my schools battle of the grades last Friday and rehearsal everyday for hours on end. It was torture, but we came in second, which was great. Sorry for the slightly rough chapter. I mean I think it's good, just not my best. And it's kind of an awkward length, but whatever.**

 **Now, for the important shit:  
\- Clark and Valerie ****_did_** **have sex; I got a lot of questions, and I just wanted to make that clear  
\- Valerie has friends! Yes, Erin, Mollie and Gab are Val's friends from Metropolis, her best friends since she was a kid. Notice how Clark thinks something's a bit off with Valerie when she's with these girls, and notice how Valerie doesn't feel the same around them like she used to.  
\- Bruce seems to be behind all of this; motive? Probably to get Valerie to come back to Metropolis  
\- Valerie's sixteen! Yay!  
\- Clark and Valerie are getting closer, that's for sure. We'll see how that goes**

 **I have to apologize for the lack of action; that's all planned to happen soon, but I wanted to do this storyline first because it's important for Valerie's character. The next chapter (maybe next two, depending on how I write it) will be Valerie's party, and shit will go down. Red Kryptonite will come in soon, and I might dive into Clark and Valerie's origins sooner than later. We'll see.**

 **As always, follow and favorite and comment. PM me with suggestions, to just tell me how awesome I am. Or just to say hi. I like those too.**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	10. Happy Birthday (9)

"We're never going to find a dress," Valerie said to Chloe, who sat across from her in the little café they had stumbled upon in downtown Metropolis. The girls had been walking around for quite some time, having ditched Bruce's limo as quickly as possible that morning. They'd been all over Metropolis, looking for the perfect dress for the party that was taking place in less than six hours, but had come up short. All the dresses were either too dressy, or too casual. While yes, the party was in a barn, it was still a party. Valerie still wanted to look good and love her dress, she just didn't want a gown. She needed a happy medium.

"Valerie—" Chloe attempted to calm her friend but she just shook her head. "The party starts in four hours, we have to be back in one and we've been in and out of every dress store in the city." Chloe sighed and took a sip of her coffee, trying to think of a way to help Valerie. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out. "There's got to be another place," She said, checking her text message before a smile appeared on her face. "And I might just have it. Common."

Chloe threw a couple of dollars down on the table to pay for their coffees before leading Valerie out of the shop and turning right. "Where are we going?" Valerie asked. If there was anyone who knew about the stores in Metropolis, it was Valerie; she spent every Sunday afternoon with her mother shopping, and she and Chloe had been to every place downtown. "A friend of mine owns a vintage shop a few blocks over and she says they just got a bunch of dresses in," Chloe explained. Valerie stopped in her tracks, and Chloe turned to her. "This is no time for you to be a brat, Val," she said and the red head rolled her eyes. "Let's just go, see what they have, and if there's nothing then we can freak out, okay?"

Valerie had taken that as her que to shut up and just follow Chloe; the blonde didn't need to be spending her day with her in the city, especially after she had just gotten over being sick, but she was doing it anyway. Chloe was definitely a real friend, Valerie had decided, and was going to keep her mouth shut for the time being. The two walked the few city blocks in silence, and were soon in from of the shop. _Ella's Closet_ was the name, and Valerie could remember times when she and her friends would walk past this place.

They went in and Chloe went right up to the girl at the register, giving her a hug as Valerie looked around. There were racks of vintage clothes, all in different colors and styles, no real order for how they were stored. A smile appeared on Valerie's face as she slowly went through the clothes, thinking about her friends. "Gab would freak if she ever saw me in here," she said when Chloe had come up next to her, turning her head. "She always had this saying _'If it's already been worn, it's not worth your time.'_ I never realized how much she had been missing out on." Chloe smiled as the pleased look on Valerie's face, before a woman came into the store from behind a curtain.

"What number is that?" she woman said to Valerie who looked up at her, a confused look on her face. "Excuse me?" "Your hair," the woman continued. "I've been thinking about going red for quite some time, but I could never find the right color." Chloe laughed. "Well keep looking, Ella. This is all natural," Chloe chimed in, which caused Valerie to laugh nervously as the woman walked over.

"Val, this is Ella Cipriano, owner of the best store in all of Metropolis," Chloe beamed and Ella just laughed. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cipriano," Valerie said sweetly, and the older woman shook her head. "Please, call me Ella. Mrs. Cipriano is my mother in law, rest her soul." Ella smiled at the girls and Valerie nodded, before the woman began to walk around the store.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having Valerie Pace in my store?" Ella said, and Valerie's nerves resurfaced. _Of course she knows who you are,_ Valerie thought to herself, mentally kicking herself for thinking she could go a day without having to be _Valerie Pace._ "Tonight's my sweet sixteen and I don't have a dress." "And you decided to come here?" Ella questioned, and before Valerie could answer she shook her head, waving the red head over. "I'm sure I've got something you'll like. Let me measure you."

Ella took Valerie's measurements before selecting a bunch of dresses and sending Valerie to a dressing room. For the next hour she put on and took off dress after dress, none being the one; one was too big, and next was too small, or the color was wrong, or the neck line was too low. Valerie walked out of the dressing room in just her jeans and bra, a panicked look on her face.

"I'm never going to find a dress," she said simply, shaking her head. "I'm going to my sweet sixteen in a pair of jeans." Valerie dropped down onto the couch between Chloe and Ella's daughter, Monique, and buried her head in her hands. A concerned look appeared on Chloe's face and she looked at Ella, who was standing before the three teenagers, thinking. "Okay Valerie," she knelt down in front of the girl who looked up, a tear on her cheek. Ella sighed and wiped the tear before nodding. "I have one more dress," she started. "If you love it, you can have it. Free of charge. And if not then I have failed as a store owner and a self-proclaimed fashion expert." Valerie couldn't help but laugh slightly, which caused Ella to smile. "Go in the dressing room, I'll go get it from the back."

After receiving the dress Valerie hadn't come out of the dressingroom for some time, which worried the three waiting. "Valerie?" Chloe called, about to go inspect when the red head pushed the curtain aside and walked out of the dressing room, a smile on her face. "It's perfect," she said simply.

The purple dress was made of some sort of sheer silk, though it wasn't see through. It was loose, and the bottom had beautiful ruffles that just made the dress that much more fun. The purple was a beautiful contrasting color to Valerie's red hair, and it fit perfectly.

Turning to look in the mirror, the smile on Valerie's face never faded. She brushed it off as she took a step closer, admiring herself in the mirror before doing a half turn, and looking at her back with the same smile on her face. She turned herself to face Chloe, Ella, and Monique, nodding her head. "This is the one." "And I know exactly how to finish it off," Monique said.

The girl went over to the accessory section and then to the shoes, coming back with two items; first was a pair of lace patterned tights, and the second a pair of black strappy heels. "A birthday gift," Monique said, handing them to Valerie with a smile. Quickly Valerie pulled the girl into a hug and she returned it, before pulling away.

"Oh crap," Chloe said as she checked her watch, standing up from her seat. "We've got to go." Valerie looked at Chloe with a smile before heading back into the dressing room, quickly changing and coming back out. Ella put the dress in a box and handed it to Valerie as Chloe called the limo. "Thank you so much," Valerie said to Ella, who nodded. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." Ella pressed a kiss to Valerie's head before the two girls said goodbye and left.

XXX

 _You've reached Valerie Pace. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks. Bye. *beep*_

A sigh escaped Clark's lips as he closed his cell phone, deciding not to leave Valerie a fourth message. He had been outside all day, avoiding the house like the plague and getting the barn ready for the party. His kitchen had turned into party central, with Erin, Mollie, and Gabriela had been on the phone practically all day with potential party-goers, DJ's, and decorators. Martha had been out all day with Jonathan, and with Valerie in Metropolis, he didn't feel safe going inside.

But he hadn't been inside all day, and truth be told Clark had to use the bathroom. It was five, and Valerie was supposed to be home a half hour ago, because the party started at six. So he called her, and her phone went right to voicemail. If there was one thing that Clark knew about Valerie it was that her cell phone was almost always dead. He had tried Chloe too, but she hadn't answered. He just hoped they'd be home soon.

Clark stood at his back door for a second before sucking in a deep breath and, cautiously, heading into the house. Just as expected the three girls were in his kitchen, talking about something, and they seemed not to notice Clark. He smiled and tried to slip past them, but he failed. Just as he was about to go up the stairs, one of the girls saw him.

"Clark!" Mollie shouted a bit too loud for his liking and he paused, a sigh escaping his lips as he turned around and took a step down onto the floor. "What's up?" he asked as she beckoned him towards them. Reluctantly he walked over, joining the circle of girls. "What're you wearing tonight?" Mollie asked, and Clark shrugged. "Pants, a button up, maybe a sports jacket." Clark hadn't thought that far ahead, and Valerie had promised him this morning she'd help him pick something out when she came home.

The three girls nodded before looking to each other and then back to Clark. "Clark," Gabriela started, pressing her lips together. "It's really nice of you to offer your barn for Vale's party, as weird as it is." Clark wanted to roll his eyes. "And I mean, you seem a nice and all, but we're going to have to ask you to back off from Valerie."

Clark had a confused look on her face, and he looked at each of the girls. "What do you mean?" he asked skeptically. "What she means is—" Erin chimed in, leaning on the counter across from Clark. "—Valerie and Bruce have practically been engaged since they were kids, and we just want what's best for her. It's what her parents would've wanted, Clark. Not some farm boy with a hero complex." Erin's voice was kind and genuine, but the words coming out of it were anything but. Clark could tell that they really cared about Valerie but that didn't matter anymore. He shook his head, but before he could, Valerie came rushing through the door.

"I know, I know, I'm late. But every dress in Metropolis was either too big, too slutty, or too ugly. We spent the entire day hitting dead ends until I found the perfect dress," she explained, throwing her jacket onto one of the chairs in the dining room and walking into the kitchen with the box from Ella's in her hand. She offered her friends all smiles before pressing a kiss to Clark's cheek, causing the tension to rise.

"So, how's everything going here?" she asked, slightly out of breath. "The barn's all ready," Clark nodded. "My mom will be home in ten minutes with the rest of the set up stuff and my dad's getting the food." Valerie smiled. "I just got off the phone with Holden," Erin spoke up, and Valerie looked to her. "He's coming, so are 99% of the people you invited to the original party." "What about Jordan?" she asked, and Erin shrugged. Valerie sighed.

Her eyes caught the clock—it read 5:07—and her eyes widened. "You said you wanted a blue shirt, right Clark?" she asked as she began heading upstairs. Clark glared at the girls before following Valerie upstairs. They went into his room and she began looking through his closet. "Well you're in luck then, because it seems all you own is blue," Valerie pulled a shirt out and laughed, placing it on the bed along with a pair of jeans and a sports jacket.

"Oh!" she exclaimed before taking the top off her dress box and pulling something out, walking over to Clark: a gold half face mask, one resembling that of the Phantom of the Opera. She handed it to Clark. "So we match," she said simply and he smiled a little, holding it in his hands. "Thank you, Valerie," she said simply before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Now go get dressed, I'll meet you downstairs."

Valerie quickly took a shower before doing her hair and getting dressed. It was 6:15 when she was finally done, though she didn't really mind showing up a little late to her own party. She was putting her shoes on when Bruce came in, a smile on his face. "You look beautiful," he said as she walked past him to her mirror and grabbed her gold mask. "What's with the cold shoulder, Vale?"

"Why'd you bring Erin, Mollie and Gabriela here?" she asked, turning to look at him. "Because I know that you knew that I cancelled the party. And sold the dress. So don't play dumb." Bruce sighed, walking over to her. "Was it to try and get me to come back to Metropolis?" she asked him. "Using my friends against me?" "That's not how it is, Vale, and you know it." "Then how is it?" she asked.

Bruce sighed. "I just want you to be happy," he said and as he gently grabbed her arms, her eyes softened. "I knew you'd be bummed out today and I thought bringing the girls out here would cheer you up, that's all." Valerie was silent and Bruce's hand came up to brush a piece of hair out of her face.

Before she could speak he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips; from through the crack in the door Clark could clearly see the lip lock, and rushed down stairs. He had come up to see what was taking Valerie so long, but instead saw _that._ He was hurt, and angry, and maybe even a little heartbroken. He quickly pulled his mask on before heading outside.

Just as quickly as Bruce pressed his lips to hers, Valerie was pulling away, a shocked look on her face. Before he could speak she slapped him across the face using her strength, causing Bruce an immense amount of pain, before taking a step away from him. Shaking her head she walked out of her bedroom and into the bathroom, leaving Bruce. Standing at the mirror she let out a sigh, trying to control her insatiable anger with breathing exercises she had learned from her dad. After a few minutes she was calm and slipped her mask on before heading downstairs and out to the barn.

Once inside Valerie was greeted by a swarm of friends from Bryce, all hugging her and expressing how much they had missed her. Some of them she could tell were genuine—like Billy Albright, her former vice president, and Kelly Knight, Valerie's lab partner since the sixth grade—while others were just thankful to be invited to the party of the year. Still, Valerie didn't care. She was so happy to see her former classmates again and catch up. For a while, everything felt normal again.

"You really do look amazing, Vale," said Alice Quinn, the girl whose locker had been next to Valerie's since middle school, just before Valerie excused herself from the group of people she had been talking to. Across the barn she could see Chloe, Pete, Whitney, and Lana talking, and quickly she made her way over. "There's the birthday girl," Pete called over the music as Valerie walked over, a smile on her face. Whitney wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him slightly, looking at her friends. "You guys having fun?" she asked and they all nodded. "Well I'm glad."

"Your friends are…" Chloe trailed off before the group laughed and Valerie nodded. "They're something alright." "Excuse me," someone spoke from behind the group and they turned. Before them stood a handsome young man, tall, with brown hair flipped up and a smile on his face; he wore a grey suit with a black tie. "I'm looking for the beautiful birthday girl."

A smile appeared on Valerie's lips and she pulled away from Whitney and wrapped her arms around the stranger. "Holden Sinclair," she exclaimed before pulling away from the hug. "Mind if I steal her from you guys for a bit?" he asked and Chloe nodded. "Go, catch up. We'll be here," she smiled. Valerie nodded before following Holden outside of the barn for a bit of quiet.

They walked to the house and sat down on the steps, taking off their masks. "You cut your hair," Valerie pointed out and he nodded. "Yeah well, you know how Jordy is; when she wants you to cut your hair, you cut your hair." Valerie's smile fell a bit, but wasn't completely gone at the mention of Jordan. "How is she?" Valerie asked and looked over at Holden, who was looking down at his hands. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" he asked and Valerie's eyebrows furrowed.

Holden stood and offered her his hand, which Valerie took, and he led her into the house. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Jordan McAllister standing in the middle of the Kent kitchen in a tee shirt and a pair of jeans; she had never been one for dresses, which was one of the many things that made her and Valerie so different, and Valerie wouldn't have had it any other way. Looking up from the magazine she was flipping through she smiled. "Hey Vale," Jordan breathed out. "I'll leave you two alone," Holden said before heading back to the party.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds before Valerie spoke up. "Gab made it seem like you weren't coming," she said and Jordan let out a laugh. "I wasn't," she said simply. "But I got a call from your friend Clark about an hour ago and… I don't know. He's very convincing." Valerie couldn't help but smile at the fact that Clark had been behind this. "So I called Holden and made him turn around and pick me up. I didn't even have time to change into that god awful dress I bought for tonight." Valerie laughed. "Well I'm glad," she nodded. "I never did have the heart to tell you how much I hated that dress."

The two girls laughed together before once again, the room became serious. "Look Valerie…" Jordan paused before taking a step closer to her. "I'm sorry I overreacted." A breath escaped Valerie's lips. "I was scared and confused, sure, but I had no right to act how I did. And right after your parents died? I'm the worst friend ever." Valerie shook her head. "No, you're not," she said simply. "I probably would've reacted the same way." Looking at Jordan Valerie smiled before pulling the girl into a hug; they embraced tightly for a while before pulling away. "I love you Jordy," Valerie whispered, and Jordan smiled. "I love you too Vale."

"Is it safe to come in?" Holden called from the other side of the screen door and the two girls laughed. "Get in here Sinclair!" Jordan exclaimed before Holden rushed in, pulling both girls into a tight group hug. Laughs escaped the lips of all three teenagers, and once they had finished Jordan looked to the barn. "I have to go talk to Clark," Valerie said to them, and the two nodded. "Catch you for cake?" The three headed back into the barn: Jordan and Holden went to talk to friends while Valerie looked around for Clark.

She finally found him by himself in the loft, looking out at the stars. "Why is it that every time I'm looking for you, you're up here gazing at the stars and contemplating the world?" she asked with a slight laugh, but Clark didn't look at her. Confused she went next to him and smiled. "You clean up nicely," she said, noticing the cold look on the half of his face that wasn't covered in mask.

"Hey," she said simply, pulling his arms so he was looking at her. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," Clark said. "Just thinking." Valerie sighed. "Well paused that for a second, because I want to say thank you." "For what?" he asked. "For calling Jordan up." Valerie's smile was contagious, and Clark wanted to smile back, but he couldn't. How could she come here and act so normal when she had been locking lips with Bruce Wayne before? "You seriously made my night. So thank you."

The two stood quietly, looking out at the stars, but Valerie could feel the tension. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say, so she just stayed quiet. Valerie was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of Jordan's voice, causing the two to turn. "Well would you look at this," Jordan said, walking over to the two. "My best friend is living with a hottie and I'm stuck with twin brothers who eat their buggers. Why world, why?" Valerie laughed slightly and Clark smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you too, Jordan."

Jordan offered Clark the same smile, and instantly Valerie felt uncomfortable. "I was just thanking Clark," she said, hoping that the looks between Clark and Jordan would break, but they didn't. Just then the music cut and Mollie's voice could be heard through the barn. "Where's the birthday girl?" she asked, and Valerie let out a breath. "That's my que," she said, hoping one of them would follow her, but they didn't.

Valerie headed down the stairs and everyone clapped; Mollie handed the microphone off to her and the red head smiled, taking it and beginning to speak. "Who knew I could throw a party in less than twenty-four hours?" she laughed along with everyone else, feeling comfortable in front of the crowd.

A sigh escaped Clark's lips and he leaned against the wall, taking his mask off and tossing it to the side before running his fingers through his hair. Jordan noticed this and walked over to him, arms crossed over her chest. "You look tired," she pointed out and Clark laughed. "You don't know the half of it," he said and looked at her. Clark's eyes ran up and down her body before back to her eyes, and Jordan noticed.

"Oh, so you're that type," she said simply before nodding. Clark wasn't sure what Jordan meant, but he didn't have time to ask. "You got a girlfriend?" Clark wasn't sure how to respond; he and Valerie weren't dating or anything, but he sure as hell had strong feelings for her. But she had kissed Bruce, and was lying to him. Still, he hadn't spoken to her about it yet.

Clark's silence was enough to convince Jordan of an answer and she smirked, leaning in to kiss Clark right on the lips. A part of him didn't want to stop her, but the rest of him knew it was wrong. Just before Jordan's lips touched Clark's he stopped her. "I can't," he whispered and Jordan instantly pulled away. "Still hung up on the last girl, huh?" she asked before reaching over and grabbing a pen from Clark's desk. She grabbed his hand and wrote down a number on it. "If you need help getting over her," she smirked before heading back down to the party.

XXX

"Thank you guys so much," Valerie pulled away from her hug with Mollie, the last of the three hugs she had just given, with a smile on her face. The four girls stood in the kitchen of the Kent's house after everyone had left, and were waiting for Holden to get out of the bathroom so they could head back to the city. "You know how much we adore parties," Erin smiled and the other three nodded. Just then Holden came down the stairs and grabbed is jacket from the table, walking over to the girls. "We better get going. My mom hates when I drive at night," Valerie rolled her eyes at his cheekiness. "Where's Jordy?"

"What'd you guys think, you were gonna leave without me?" Jordan walked into the house, a smirk on her face. Valerie sighed. "Where the hell have you been?" she laughed. "I went on a walk around the farm. These Kent animals are pretty cool, if you ask me." Again Valerie sighed. "Jordan, are you high?" she asked. "As high as a kite," Jordan laughed before Holden shook his head.

"Alright, Madam Kite," he said as he lifted her up and over his shoulder despite her protesting. "Time to get you home." The group laughed. "Night Vale," Holden said before the rest of the girls said goodnight and they headed outside. "Night Red! Don't get into too much trouble without me!" Jordan called and Valerie just waved as they got in the car and eventually drove away.

Quickly Valerie headed upstairs and got changed into a pair of shorts and one of Clark's tee shirts, wiping off her make-up and placing her mask on her dresser. She took her hair out before hearing her stomach grumble; she was starving. She made her way down the hallway quietly, but before going downstairs she looked into Clark's room: he wasn't there.

A sigh escaped Valerie's lips as she walked downstairs, over to the refrigerator and opened it, looking through for something to eat. She hadn't had any of the food at the party because she was too busy socializing, but a nearly two in the morning she was definitely hungry. She grabbed the container labeled _pasta_ and a fork and sat down on the kitchen floor, beginning to eat the slightly cold spaghetti.

She was halfway through the pasta when the back door to the Kent's house opened to reveal Clark, who seemed confused. Instantly Valerie stood up and placed the pasta on the counter, walking over to him. "You okay?" she asked, taking his arm which caused him to jump. He looked to her, who was also confused, and nodded.

"I fell asleep in the loft," he mumbled before running his fingers through his hair, eyes looking past Valerie. A sigh escaped her lips and she took his hand, leading him over to the island and making him sit. "You hungry?" she asked and offered him some of the now cold pasta. Clark looked to the Tupperware before back to Valerie, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"Suit yourself then," Valerie said simply before taking a bit of the pasta, a smile on her face as she swallowed. Clark's smile remained, momentarily forgetting about what had happened with Valerie and Bruce, and just enjoyed her presence. He took the Tupperware from her and placed it back on the counter before standing; her grabbed Valerie's waist and picked her up, placing her on the counter and standing between her legs.

"You looked beautiful tonight," he whispered into her ear, hands resting on her bare thighs as her arms wrapped around his neck. Their faces were close and Valerie bit her lip, driving Clark crazy. "But I don't think you've ever looked hotter than you do now, in my tee shirt."

"Mr. Kent, I can assure you—the shirt looks even better _off,"_ she said in a seductive tone, continuing to bite down on her lip. Valerie's hand rested on his chest, and just before Clark let himself indulge in her beauty he was reminded of what had happened with Bruce and instantly felt uncomfortable. Clearing his throat he nodded, not looking at her but past her. Valerie's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's late, we should head to bed," he took a step away from her, which left Valerie even more confused. "Night, Valerie." Using his superspeed Clark was upstairs and in his room in seconds, leaving Valerie atop the counter very confused.

 **Hey guys!**

 **Sorry this chapter took a bit more time to post; I was having a bit of writers block, but thanks to my friend Sabrina I got my inspiration back. Shout out to her, because she's awesome and the person I bounce ideas off of. Ily mom.**

 **ANYWAY this chapter is a bit short, but a lot of important stuff happens. Notably:  
\- Are Erin, Mollie, and Gabriela looking out for Valerie's best interests, or what they think are her best interests? They were pretty rude to Clark, especially with the whole ****_it's what her parents would've wanted_** **note or whatever.  
\- Bruce making a move on Valerie, and Val shutting him down. Go Val!  
\- We've finally met Holden and Jordan, aka Valerie's Chloe and Pete! I was so happy when I wrote the scene when Val and Jordy made up, and the three of them are the cutest friends.  
\- Jordan's a bit of a trouble maker, a bit of a wild child, and we'll definitely see more of that  
\- And now, the weirdness between Clark and Valerie because of Bruce. We'll see how that develops, especially with the excitement of the next few chapters**

 **So yeah, that's that. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon, but a lots going to happen in that one so bare with me. We will discover a new power of Valerie's, which will be awesome, but I won't tell which one. I'm very excited to write the next few chapters.**

 **Another thing: I've written Valerie's family history and her connection to Clark, and I'm going to let one lucky person read it! The first person to PM me will get to read the full back story. I'll also be giving spoilers to the first person to comment on this chapter, so that's cool too. You know what they say: the early bird catches the worm.**

 **And lastly, I JUST SAW BATMAN V SUPERMAN AND I CRIED. It was so good, Oh my god. So if anyone of you need someone to talk about the movie with, I'm your gal.**

 **As always, follow and favorite and comment and all of that. I'll be waiting.**

 **xoxo  
Paige**


	11. AN (important please read)

**Hey guys!**

 **I know, I disappeared. And I'm so sorry about that. Life has been so busy and I haven't had time to write, plus I've had a bit of writer block; I know what I want to write, I'm just having trouble putting it into words and whatnot. I think it's the business and tiredness of my life right now honestly.**

 **BUT I'm not giving up. I love this story and these characters way too much to give up on this story, especially since I have so much planned. All I think about is ideas for this story, honestly, so I definitely won't be ending it or abandoning it.**

 **I'm working on chapter ten right now, and it's looking pretty good so far, so it should be up in the next week. I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting, I know it sucks. I've had so many of you PM me asking me to update, and I want to, I just don't want to give you guys a half assed update.**

 **Also, as always, I want your suggestions. ESPECIALLY for this next chapter, since I'm having a tough time with it. Essentially, Clark's on red kryptonite and causing trouble, so if anyone has any suggestions on things to include, I'd love to hear them. It'll help me get through this chapter because I have so much planned for RIGHT after this, which is why I think it's been so hard to write. You know how the week before a vacation seems to take ten years? It's like that.**

 **Anyway, you guys are awesome, as per usual. I love you all and I will be back! I promise.**

 **xoxo**

 **Paige**


	12. A Little Red K Never Killed Nobody (10)

"I don't know Chloe," Valerie said simply, taking in a spoonful of chocolate frozen yogurt as she shook her head. "Ever since my party he's been acting so… off. Like I did something wrong. Problem is when I ask him about it, I get no answer. It's been a month, Chloe." A sigh escaped Valerie's lips as she played with what remained of her yoghurt, eyes not looking at her blonde friend.

Chloe and Valerie were on their lunch break, and while neither of them were particularly hungry they were both craving frozen yogurt; so Valerie had used her super speed to get them some from the best place in Metropolis, and the two sat outside at the lunch tables eating and talking. It was nice out, not too cold but not too hot, and Valerie was comfortable in her red and black plaid skirt and black long sleeve.

"Maybe he just felt a bit overwhelmed by everything," Chloe suggested. "I mean, there were a lot of people there and maybe it made him realize that you have a life outside of Smallville. Outside of him." Valerie's head tilted slightly. "Yeah but if that were it, don't you think he would've talked to me about it?" Valerie asked as a breeze ran through the courtyard. Both girls shivered, and without speaking they both agreed it was time to head inside. Standing they grabbed their bags and tossed out their frozen yogurt's, heading inside.

"I don't know, Val," Chloe shook her head as they entered the cafeteria, but before either of them could continue because Pete was calling their names. The girls walked over to find him and Clark standing in a line. "What's all this?" Valerie asked. "Class rings," Pete said, and Valerie crossed her arms over her chest. "You guys actually do those here?"

Clark turned to her, tilting his head slightly. "Why wouldn't we?" he asked, and the tension between the two could be felt by everyone. "I don't know," Valerie shrugged. "Bryce did away with them a few years age; the student council thought they were a waste of money." "Well I think they're pretty cool," Pete said as they moved up in the line, one away from the table. "You better get one, Valerie."

"No thank you," she laughed as they finally reached the table; Valerie picked one up, admiring the red stone before shaking her head. "Way too tacky for my taste. I bet the rubies aren't even real." "Suit yourself." Before she could put it down Clark reached over and took it from her hand, looking at it before slipping it on.

Suddenly Clark felt a surge of energy rush through his body and he closed his eyes, opening them a few seconds later with a newfound confidence and arrogance that he didn't know how he had developed; but he wasn't complaining. Valerie tilted her head when she noticed Clark's stance suddenly change and she spoke up. "You okay, Clark?" she asked.

"Never better, sweetheart," he turned to look at her, and Valerie let out a laugh. "Okay then," she nodded before checking her phone. "That would be my cue to leave; Henderson'll kill me if I'm late for his class again. Bye guys." Valerie gave them a short wave before heading off. As she walked Clark watched her, eyes following her behind and a smirk appearing on his face.

XXX

"Clark! I'm home!" Valerie called through the house, grocery bags and mail in her hands as she kicked the front door closed. Martha and Jonathan were in Metropolis for a few days, which left Valerie and Clark on their own. Naturally, they had decided to split up their farm chores, and switch on and off for the household chores. Tonight was Valerie's turn to cook, and after a student council meeting at school Valerie had headed to the grocery store to buy things for dinner.

She placed the bags and the mail on the counter along with her keys before going over to the house phone and checking the messages. There was one, and it was from the school. Curious she pressed play, placing the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she began to go through the mail. "Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Kent, this is Principal Gibbons. Clark did not attend any of his afternoon classes today and there's no record of him being signed out. If one of you could give me a call as soon as possible, that'd be great. Have a good weekend."

"That's odd," Valerie muttered, saving the message before putting the phone back on the charger and beginning to take the groceries out of their bags. She had seen Clark during lunch, why hadn't he gone to his afternoon classes? She thought to call Martha up but she didn't want to ruin the last days of their little vacation with something like this. If Clark skipped out on classes, there had to be a reason.

After putting everything away Valerie began making dinner: chicken cutlets. It was one of the few thing she could make without fear of messing up, considering she wasn't the best chef. As it neared five o'clock Valerie began to worry about Clark, considering he wasn't home, and decided to call him. She flipped the chicken cutlets before picking up the phone, about to call him when she heard a noise outside.

It sounded like an engine, but Valerie knew better than to believe it came from a car; she grew up in Metropolis, of course she knew what a motorcycle sounded like. Confused she turned the stove off before heading out the back door. Her assumptions had been correct. Parked next to her car was a brand new motorcycle with Clark sitting on it; he got off and took the keys out before looking to Valerie.

"Pretty sweet, right?" he asked as he made his way up the back steps and onto the porch, standing right in front of her. Valerie looked at the bike before back to Clark. "Where'd you get it?" she asked, and he shrugged. "This place in Metropolis," he said simply, making his way into the house. Furrowing her eyebrows Valerie followed, closing the door behind her. "With what money?"

Clark grabbed one of the already cooked chicken cutlets and took a bite as he began to rummage through the refrigerator, shrugging. "Why do you worry so much, Valerie?" he asked with food in his mouth, swallowing. Using her speed Valerie was in front of Clark, taking the cutlet from him and giving him a glare. "Clark I—" But she had been cut off.

Mid-sentence Clark had decided to use his own super speed, picking her up and moving Valerie onto the counter before she could never finish her thought, let alone her sentence. Caught off guard she let out a breath, looking down at him. "What're you doing?" she asked him, even more confused than before.

An uncharacteristically smug smirk appeared on Clark's face as his hands rested on her thighs, slowly moving from the lower part up towards her hips. "Is it a crime to admire beauty?" he whispered in her ear, lips pressing against her neck in a rough but sexy way; after a second he bit down on her neck, causing Valerie to involuntarily moan. Her hands rested on his shoulders, and though she wanted to push him away she just couldn't.

When Clark's hands gripped her hips he quickly pulled his lips from her neck and kissed her roughly; at first Valerie kissed him back, having missed being close to Clark in the weeks since her party, but after a few seconds she remembered why things had been weird. It had been because of Clark, because he wouldn't tell her what was wrong. "Wait," she said as she pulled away from him, out of breath. "Clark, what's gotten into you?" "I thought this was what you wanted, Valerie?" he asked before pressing his lips back to hers roughly.

This time Valerie didn't wait to come to her senses; she used her strength to push Clark off of her, his back hitting into the opposite counter as she jumped to her feet. "What the hell?" he spat, speeding in front of her with a threatening look on his face. "I should be asking you the same thing," she used the same tone, standing her ground as she fixed her skirt.

"What gives Clark? One second you can barely look at me without giving that uncomfortable I know something you don't look, and the next you're all over me? Now either you're experiencing major mood swings due to pregnancy, or there's something you're not telling me." When Valerie was nervous she tended to talk a lot, which was where she was currently.

The threatening look on Clark's face quickly reverted to a smirk as he backed Valerie up into the counter once more, hands on either side of her hips. "Oh common Valerie," his tone was seductive, and completely un-Clark Kent. "We both know you want to do this." He paused, his eyes scanning her body before stopping at her chest. "That black bra of yours is just itching to be ripped off."

Valerie eyes widened when she realized that Clark was using his X-ray vision on her and she shoved his head back, crossing her arms over her chest. A groan escaped Clark's lips and he looked at her, angry. "I don't need this," Clark snapped, and before she could stop him, Clark had sped out of the house and out of sight.

Valerie wasn't sure how to react; what had happened to Clark that had made him act so… different? She wasn't sure, and she had no idea where he went. After calling up Chloe, Pete, and even Lana, she had hit a dead end. None of them had seen Clark since lunch, and none of them had any clue as to where he could've gone.

And then the credit card company called. The guy on the other end mentioned some suspicious activity on Clark's emergency card that took place all over Metropolis, and they were calling to check in. After a lot of convincing Valerie was able to get the names of all the places that Clark had been, the last being one that was very familiar to her: a car dealership that was just around the corner from where she used to live. The transaction had gone through just seconds before the guy on the phone told her, and after hanging up Valerie headed into Metropolis.

XXX

Clark was angry; he couldn't remember ever being so angry before in his life, and he wasn't sure where it was coming from. He assumed it was from Valerie not wanting to hook up with him in the kitchen, but since when had he ever cared about stuff like that? Never. He never would normally try and pressure anyone into doing something like that, especially not Valerie.

But she had rejected him, and he knew it had to have something to do with Bruce; he had been avoiding talking to Valerie about what he'd seen, because he figured that she'd bring it up eventually. But she hadn't, and that made Clark angry. Was she hooking up with Bruce when Clark wasn't home? Were they doing it right now? He didn't know, but he was so angry. He thought maybe buying some expensive car would help, because he just wanted to, but it didn't.

Standing on the streets of Metropolis he tried to think of a way to distract himself, and then it hit him: Jordan. She had said that when he was ready to give her a call, and when he remembered that he had put her number in his phone he gave her a call. She gave him her address, which was near where he currently was, and within seconds he was knocking on the door.

She had barely opened the door before he pressed his lips to hers, and within seconds they were on the couch in her living room, sealing the deal. Of course Clark didn't feel anything, he hadn't expected to, but it did feel nice to not have to think about Valerie. Not that he didn't; the whole time he was thinking about her, but he would never admit that.

His lips were connected to her neck as their hips moved together, but then he heard something: the opening of a door. Clark pushed it out of his mind, and it seemed like Jordan hadn't even noticed it. He figured it was nothing, and continued.

"What happened to answering our cell phones?" Valerie called through the apartment; she was about to head to Jordan's room when she heard the sound of someone falling onto the floor and she turned to look at the living room, her eyes widening; Jordan was sitting on the couch, pulling up her jeans, with Clark half naked on the floor next to her.

Valerie didn't know what she was feeling, but all she knew was she wanted to cry but couldn't. She felt angry, but numb at the same time; sad and afraid and every other negative emotion she could think of was running through her body, and she just wanted to punch something. She knew it was clear on her face that she was hurt, and truthfully she didn't care at this point; her best friend and her—her something were having sex.

But did she have a right to be upset? It's not like Jordan even knew about her somewhat relationship with Clark, and over the last few weeks it was clear that Clark didn't want to be with her. But then what happened before? When Clark made a move? It was all so confusing, and heartbreaking at the same time.

When Jordan's pants were on she stood. "You okay Vale?" she asked, feeling slightly confused as to why Valerie looked the way she did. She looked pale, like she might vomit any second. "Fine," she whispered, not looking at Jordan but at Clark. And he didn't look regretful, not one bit. In fact, he looked proud. "I'm going to go," she muttered. "But you just got here," Jordan said and Valerie shook her head, walking out before either could stop her.

Clark quickly jumped to his feet and pulled his pants on before following Valerie out, the same smug look on his face that seemed to find a home there recently. "Valerie!" he called as he followed her down the hall, using his speed to be in front of her. She stopped in her tracks before she could bump into him, a stone cold expression on her face. "Get out of my way, Clark," she said in a strained voice. "Need I remind you that I'm stronger than you are."

"Oh please, you do that every chance you get," he snapped, arms crossing over his naked chest as he stood his ground. "What I don't understand is how you became such a hypocrite?" She gave him a confused look. "I mean, it's all okay when you're locking lips with Bruce Wayne but when I get some action, you get all pissy. Now that seems far from fair."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she snapped at him, shaking her head. "Before your party. I saw the whole thing," Clark nodded, but Valerie shook her head. "When you stop being a complete asshole, we can talk. Until then get out of my way." When Clark didn't immediately move she pushed past him, slamming Clark's back into the wall in the process.

Instead of going back to the Kent farm, however, Valerie decided she'd spend the night at her apartment in Metropolis; at least there, she knew that she'd be alone, and she wouldn't have to worry about running into Clark. After taking a shower and changing into her pajamas she checked her phone, realizing Chloe had called her six times. Instead of responding Valerie just left her phone in the kitchen before heading to bed.

It was around two in the afternoon when Valerie finally left her room, hearing a knocking on her door; this confused her, but she got up anyway to answer it. Behind it was Chloe, a smile on her face and her laptop in her hand. "You weren't answering any of my calls so I had to get creative," she said before entering the apartment, looking around. "Well this is a bit of a step up from the Kent's spare bedroom."

Valerie smirked a little before the two went into the kitchen, sitting down at the stools of the island. "Are you okay?" Chloe asked as she opened her computer. "I don't want to talk about it." Chloe looked up at Valerie's answer, a sympathetic look on her face. "I did some digging last night," she changed the subject, opening up a few files. "It turns out you were right; the stone in the ring? It's not ruby." Chloe fished into her pocket and pulled out the ring Pete had let her borGrow, handing it to Valerie. "The company that makes them uses a mineral that they found at the bottom of Hob's Pond a couple of years ago. Not native to Smallville or even the Western Hemisphere."

Her eyes scanned the stone imbedded in the ring before looking up at Chloe. "What're you getting at?" she asked, and Chloe sighed. "Red meteor rock." Valerie placed the ring down on the table, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Red meteor rock?" she questioned, and Chloe nodded.

"I mean, it'd make sense," Chloe defended. "If the green rocks affect you and Clark physically, maybe the red ones affect you mentally." Again Valerie picked up the ring and let it sit in her hand, watching at it glowed when it made contact with her skin: similarly to how the green rock glowed when she was near it. Quickly she handed it to Chloe, nodding. "No need for a visual, I got it. So now what?" she asked.

There was a knock on the door, and both Valerie and Chloe looked over to it at the sound. "So much for my secret hide out," she muttered as she got off the chair and walked over to the door, looking through the peep hole and sucking in a breath. "Oh common Vale, I can hear you breathing from the other side of the door. Just open up," Jordan said from out in the hall, hands on her hips.

Valerie let out a breath before opening the door and crossing her arms over her chest. "What's up?" she asked, trying her best not to show how upset she was. "Can I come in?" Jordan asked, and Valerie shook her head. "I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

"Oh," Jordan nodded, brushing Valerie's tone off before crossing her arms over her chest. "I just came to check up on you; you seemed kind of upset last night, which I still don't understand." At this point Chloe had moved from the kitchen to standing behind Valerie, whose eyes had widened. "I mean, it's not like you and Clark were together or anything, and you never called dibs. I thought he was fair game. Plus he came to me."

"You're right Jordan," Valerie nodded her head, pressing her lips together. "We're not together, and I'm not upset. But I really don't have time to talk about your latest conquest with you, okay? Chloe and I are in the middle of something, so if you could please—" "Hey, I know where I'm not wanted," Jordan interrupted, nodding her head. "Call me when you pull that stick out of your ass."

With that Jordan walked off down the hall and Valerie shut the door, letting out a breath as she turned to Chloe. "She seems…" "Don't even go there," Valerie shook her head before heading to her room, Chloe on her tail. "What'd you mean, her latest conquest?" Valerie paused from going through her closet with a huff, turning to Chloe. "I walked in on her and Clark hooking up last night."

Chloe stood there, her eyes wide and a confused look on her face. "Wow," she nodded, pressing her lips together as Valerie pulled clothes out of her closet. In the blink of an eye Valerie was in the bathroom and out again, having changed from her pajamas into a pair of jeans and a grey sleeveless turtleneck. Her messy sleep hair had been pulled back into a loose French braid and she grabbed her sneakers, slipping them on. "Which is why I stayed here last night."

Chloe tilted her head, still confused. Valerie sighed. "Bruce kissed me before my party last week and I pushed him away, but Clark didn't see that part. That's why he's been avoiding me, and it's probably what made him go for Jordan. To get back at me." "And Jordan just… went along with it?" Chloe asked, sitting down on Valerie's bed.

"Well, yeah," Valerie nodded, tying her sneakers before turning to Chloe. "I mean Jordy didn't know about Clark and I, so I don't blame her; she's the type of person you call when you need to relieve stress if you know what I mean." Chloe's mouth laid open a second before she nodded, closing her mouth.

"So what's the plan?" Valerie asked, and Chloe stood up. "We've got to get that ring off of Clark before he makes anymore stupid moves." She sighed. "But first we've got to find him."

XXX

The Ace of Clubs was probably busiest on Saturday nights, just like most clubs in Metropolis were, but on a Saturday afternoons, however, there were very few people. He liked the idea of hundreds of careless people around him, not knowing his secret and allowing him to worry less and enjoy more. Coming early he knew he wasn't going to get that yet. But after the confrontation with Valerie the night before and the hook up with Jordan, he needed to just not worry. Girls were too complicated.

And, as it seemed, Clark didn't have a care in the world at the moment. Which felt amazing considering all Clark ever did was worry about everyone around him. Right now he could worry about himself, and not worry about anything if he felt like it. He could do whatever the hell he wanted, and he sure as hell would take advantage of this rare occasion.

He was talking with the bartender when one of the club security guards came over to him, relaying a message from some other guy in the club to meet him in the back room in five minutes. Normally Clark would've thought this to be suspicious, but he didn't read into it much. He talked a bit more with the girl before heading off to where he had been told to go, wanting to know what the fuss was about.

When he walked into the back room, Clark was met with a group of men standing and talking to one another. He was about to speak when he felt two people grab onto his arms and try to restrain him; the group turned to him and Clark just smirked, flinging the two men to the sides like it was nothing. Because it was nothing.

"So Mann wasn't lying," the man in the center of the group said, arms across his chest and a smirk on his face. "The Kent boy's got strength." "Who are you?" Clark called to the man, a threatening look on his face. The man laughed, and in an instant Clark was in front of him, grabbing onto his neck and lifting him high in the air. That's when they realized he was not a force to be reckoned with. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"Barry Fink," the man breathed out, gripping onto Clark's hands to try and get some air into his lungs. Barry Fink. Clark knew the name; he had gone to school with his father at Smallville High, played football with him. Which meant he knew Mr. Mann, like he said, and Valerie's father. Pausing, Clark tilted his head at Barry before dropping him to the ground.

Barry gasped in air before being assisted to his feet by one of the other men, straightening himself out before looking at Clark. His eyes were still threatening but Barry didn't flinch, or back away, like a few of the men he was with seemed to be doing. His cool demeanor didn't falter as he walked closer to Clark, eying him up and down. "My sources say you're pretty close with Valeria Pace."

This must be what Mr. Mann was talking about, Clark thought back to the threats his former gym teacher had yelled before being hauled off to Belle Reve. He had told Clark that there were more of them- those that wanted to hurt Valerie- and that they would succeed. Valerie had also mentioned that threats like this had been constant her whole life because of her father's public office. It was all coming together now, and normally Clark would've taken each and every man here out in a second, but for some reason he didn't care. In fact, he wanted to help them.

"You could say that," Clark decided to play dumb, see what they would reveal to him before he said anything to them. It put him ahead, and made it easier for him to back out if he ever wanted to. "Well you two live together," Barry continued. "You've shared a few intimate moments and from what I understand, you just slept with her best friend."

Now it was Clark's turn to be confused, unsure how he knew all of this stuff. Were they tracking him? Were they tracking Valerie? Spying on them? He had no idea, but he sure as hell didn't like it. Before Clark could speak up, however, Barry continued: "And from what I understand, the two of you aren't exactly getting along right now. Thanks to a certain billionaire?" Clark didn't say anything. "Which is why you're here. We need your help."

"With what?" Clark asked. "Mr. Mann was able to get her on his own; if it hadn't been for me she would've been dead by now. You don't need anything from me." "Oh but we do," Barry continued. "We've got Metropolis PD on our asses after your small town sheriff told them of Mann's membership in our little opposition group. We can't do anything, but you can."

Clark shook his head. "I'm not killing Valerie," he said simple, but Barry shook his head. "We're not asking you to kill her," he said. "We're asking you to bring her to us, and we'll take it from there. You'll be an innocent bystander, that's it Mr. Kent. So what do you say? Help us get rid of Miss Pace, and there will be a reward in it for you. I guarantee it."

Under normal circumstances, Clark would've shut these men down; he would've called the police, or Chloe, and gotten each and everyone of these guys thrown in jail. He would've protected Valerie, no matter what, but right now he wasn't thinking clearly. She was playing him, sleeping with him and making him feel like the only one while she was really with Bruce. All the rumors about her, as well as his first assumptions, had been right, and he wanted to get revenge.

"Fine, I'll help you," he said nodded, and Barry smiled. "Tonight. Eleven o'clock." Clark understood and turned to leave before he paused, turning to the men again. "There's something you might need. Something that will guarantee your success, but something that I can't get." Barry nodded, silently telling Clark to continue. "They're green meteor rocks, and they're only found in Smallville."

XXX

"I've been through the city at least ten times now, Chloe. I can't find him anywhere," Chloe sighed as she pressed her phone between her right ear and her shoulder, unlocking the Kent's front door and heading inside. "Well I'm at the farm right now, maybe he's here." Chloe paused, covering the phone speaker with her hand and walking into the kitchen. "Clark!" she called, but there was nothing.

"He's not here either," she said, but by the time she finished her sentence she felt a whoosh of air and turned; Valerie stood behind her, and the two closed their phones and walked towards each other. "We're never going to find him," Valerie said, slipping her phone into her coat pocket before running her fingers through her hair. She felt so guilty over the whole thing, even though Chloe had assured her at least ten times that it wasn't her fault. l

"We are going to find him, Val," Chloe said, though at this point her voice was less sure than it had been all day, and both of them could hear it. They were both worried, and as it grew darker their hope got smaller and smaller. A sigh escaped Valerie's lips and she sat on one of the stools at the counter, checking her watch. "It's already ten-thirty, Chlo. He could be anywhere in the world right now."

Then there was a beep and both girls paused, pulling out their phones to check who had gotten the text: Pete had been a part of the search party as well, and they were hoping he had texted one of them to say he had found Clark. Chloe sighed when she realized she hadn't been the one to get the text and closed her phone, looking at Valerie. The redhead looked at her cell phone, confused, which confused Chloe as well.

"'Meet me at the Ace of Clubs in a half hour. I want to apologize,'" Valerie paused and looked at Chloe. "It's from Clark." "Well let's go then," Chloe said as she grabbed her bag and began to walk to the door, but stopped when she realized Valerie wasn't following her. Turning, she raised her eyebrows. "Common Val." "This doesn't make any sense," Valerie said.

"He was fuming before," Valerie continued. "The only way he'd be able to calm down and think rationally is if he took the ring off, which I doubt. Which means this is a trap." "Oh common Valerie," Chloe sighed. "This is Clark we're talking about. Do you really think he'd do that?" "I don't know, Chlo," Valerie snapped, shaking her head. "I never thought he'd sleep with my best friend but look how that turned out."

Chloe walked over to Valerie and pulled her into a hug, which she decided her friend needed, and Valerie quickly returned it. The last few hours had been insane, and she was so emotionally done with the situation that she didn't even want to meet Clark at the Ace of Clubs. But she knew that if she was going to get that ring off his finger, she had to do it. Then maybe they could sit down and talk about everything.

The hug lasted a bit before the two girls pulled away, looking at each other before Valerie nodded. "Let's go," she said, grabbing hold of Chloe before using her super speed to get them to Metropolis in seconds. Then they walked, and by the time they made it to the club it was nearing eleven. Again Valerie used her speed to get herself and Chloe inside without being questioned, placing them in the middle of the dancefloor.

"I'll look this way," Chloe shouted and Valerie nodded, pulling her phone out of her pocket to let Chloe know to keep her's close, incase they needed to get in contact. Chloe nodded and the two headed their separate ways, Chloe towards the back of the club and Valerie towards the bar.

Leaning on the bar she saw the bartender had noticed her, and after asking what she wanted she just wanted a water. Taking a sip she looked around before deciding her x-ray vision would be the best way to find him. Turning to the crowd she concentrated before everything turned to bones. It made her head hurt, all the information her body was processing, but she continued anyway. She looked to her right, then in front of her, and then to her left. Down the bar, she spotted someone with the light inside of them that she knew was Clark. Blinking everything turned back to normal and she walked over to him.

Before he could even notice her she was grabbed from behind by two strong men; she was about to toss them off when she felt a needle penetrate the skin in her neck, burning the area and causing her to gasp. Then she felt whatever liquid was in the syringe eject into her neck, and after letting out one more gasp, everything went black.

Clark turned his head when he heard Valerie, and seeing her limp in the thugs arm's tugged at his heart a little bit. What are you doing Clark? The voice in his head had a point, but for some reason he pushed it away as he watched them haul her away. You're helping these guys kill the girl you love. Is this really what you want?

Before he could over think it, Barry appeared in front of him, causing Clark to jump slightly. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he asked, and Clark tilted his head. "Why do you ask?" Answering a question with another question. Smooth, Clark. "Just curiosity, I guess," Barry shrugged. "But just to be sure-" Before he finished his sentence Clark felt the same sensation Valerie had felt: the burning, the ejection and then the blackness.

XXX

There was a dull aching settling into Valerie's entire body, similarly to when she had woken up after Mr. Mann attacked her for the first time. This time, however, he whole body felt heavy. It must've been whatever was in the liquid that was ejected into her neck, but what could that have been? The only thing that could hurt her was meteor rock.

Opening her eyes she was instantly blinded by a bright green light, though it wasn't even that bright. It was on a table in front of her, and beyond that she could see someone- Clark? That didn't make any sense. He had to have been a part of this, or else why would he have asked her to meet him? In the few seconds she saw him before she noticed the red meteor rock ring was still on his finger, which meant he was still acting strange and still angry with her.

"Oh look, the princess is awake," she heard an unfamiliar voice say, and quickly she turned her head to see a group of men, one of which was standing in the front of them all. He seemed to be the leader, but Valerie knew that she could take him out easily. In a second she was fighting to get free of her ropes, but she had no strength. In fact, she felt weak. Barry laughed, and looking up quickly she realized that the light had to be coming from a meteor rock. She was trapped.

"Don't even try getting out," Barry walked in front of her, blocking the green light (but that didn't give her any strength back). "Those knots were tied by a former Navy Seal, and that meteor rock is weakening you more and more by the second Miss Pace. Looks like it's time for you to play by our rules now."

"What the hell is this?" she spat, fighting off the pain. "Who are you people?" "We, Miss Pace, are the future of Metropolis," Barry said loudly. "We are here to make sure that our city isn't ruined by another Pace, like it was by your father!" "Barry Fink," Valerie pushed out. "I know who you are." "Everyone does, kid."

"What do you want with me?" she asked him, though she knew the answer; Valerie was just continuing to entertain Barry so she could discretely maneuver her phone out of her pocket and call Chloe. It was her only chance of coming out of this alive, and she wasn't ready to be dragged out in a body bag. "I've never done anything to you." Her hand grabbed the phone.

"You haven't, but your father has," Barry said. The phone was out of her pocket. "Your father not only destroyed Metropolis with his selfish actions, but he ruined my life." The phone was flipped open. "He ruined high school for me, and I swore that I'd get revenge." She began dialing. "But now he's dead, and so is his trophy wife, which leaves you. His beautiful daughter." Call placed.

Barry grabbed the meteor rock and walked up to Valerie, causing the girl to gasp. He held her chin in his other hand and she tried turning her head away from him, but it was no use. A look of disgust was on her face as he stroked her cheek, and after a second her lifted the hand that held the meteor rock and hit her across the face with it. Of course, it cut her skin, and she let out a groan of pain. And, she dropped her phone. But thankfully no one noticed.

"Clark!" Valerie called out, which woke the other up with a shake of his head. Clark looked around, confused, before anger replaced it. He had helped these guys out, and in return he was injected with meteor rock, tied up, and was probably going to be killed. Not cool.

This shout distracted Barry, and instantly Valerie's leg came up to kick the meteor rock out of his hand, landing close to Clark. As he became weaker she became stronger, and in seconds she tore out of the ropes and was on her feet. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chloe, and she gave her a look to stay back and wait.

Barry and his men looked at Valerie, eyes wide, and she shook her head. "You messed with the wrong chick," she said simply before the men began to attack her. With ease she threw each and every one off of her knocking them out one by one. It was so easy, she almost laughed. While watching, Chloe dialled the police, giving them her location and telling them to come soon.

Soon it was just Valerie and Barry, who glared at one another. Before Valerie could lunge at him he pulled out a gun and shot her in the arm; instead of reflecting off it skimmed over her flesh causing her to fall back onto the ground, groaning in pain. It didn't help that she landed on top of the meteor rock.

Looking up at Barry she could barely see, her vision going in and out. She could tell that he had a smirk on his face, a victorious one at that, and that he was about ready to shoot her right in the heart. "Parting is such sweet sorrow, princess," he snarled, just about ready to shoot her. She was ready, to be honest, and that scared her. But the pain never came.

Instead, Valerie saw Barry fall to the ground before everything went black for a second. She blinked profusely before seeing someone in the man's place: Clark. He was looking down at her before he lifted her up off the meteor rock bridal style and speeding up to the roof, leaving Chloe there to answer police questions.

When they made it to the roof of the Ace of Clubs, Clark looked at Valerie in his arms, and when he saw that she was regaining her strength he set her down to stand. Letting out a breath, Valerie looked at her left shoulder and could see that her coat was cut and bloody. Slipping it off she used the ruined fabric to wipe the blood off her arm, and was happy to see that her arm was beginning to heal. She dropped the jacket before looking right in front of her at Clark.

Their stare was intense, and neither wanted to be the first one to move or speak. It was at least a minute before Valerie used her speed to be directly in front of him and she went to slap him, but instead he caught her hand. Catching a glimpse of the red ring on the hand that held hers, she quickly ripped it off his finger before tossing it off the side of the building.

Clark blinked a few times before before his stare turned back to normal: compassionate, concerned, and loving. The hurt look on Valerie's face was an indication that he had royally screwed, and a realization of the past two days set in. He slept with Jordan, and nearly got Valerie killed in the process as well as himself. Clearly, he had been under some sort of influence.

Before he could speak Valerie whooshed away, leaving Clark on the roof by himself, until Chloe came up to retrieve him.

 **Guess who's back?**

 **Hi guys! I know I've been hella awol the past few weeks and I'm so sorry about that! School got intense and life got in the way and I've been meaning to finish this chapter and update but I just haven't had the time! and I didn't want to give you guys a half-assed update, you know?**

 **Important Chapter 10 things:**

 **-We've discovered red kryptonite! that's always fun, and Clark seemed to have a good time while on it**

 **-Clark and Jordan slept together, and clearly Valerie is upset. We'll see how that all plays out next chapter**

 **-The bad guys are gone! For now. Lol**

 **So yah, long chapter but that's always good! As for what's coming up; this story will probably only have a few more chapters, but I have big plans for the end AND a sequel plot in the works! Exciting, I know. Anyway, I promise next chapter will be soon. I love you all, and I was so happy when I got messages asking me to update! Send in your comments and suggestions and concerns, you know I love to read them**

 **xoxo**

 **Paige**


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